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Are We Providing Timely Access to Musculoskeletal Outpatient Therapy Services? an Exploratory Study

NCT06829875 · Status: RECRUITING · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 135

Last updated 2025-02-17

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Waiting times for NHS services are of growing public interest. This is because accessing some services is getting more difficult, and we know that longer waits can result in negative impacts for those waiting.

People in Wales waiting for care for their musculoskeletal problems are deemed to be cared for in good time if they get an appointment in less than 14 weeks. This target has been set by Welsh Government, for everyone who waits, no matter what condition they are waiting with and how that condition is affecting them.

We know that impact of wait for people with MSK problems can vary, from complete recovery, to worsening of their pain and function. The impact experienced seems to be influenced by factors such as their age and their mental health statusz\\. This suggests that setting one target for all may not be the right thing to do. However, we don't yet know whether waiting over 14 weeks has a big effect on impact. We also don't know about the lived experience of those waiting, while they wait, despite knowing that learning this is vital to informing change.

We plan to study the impact of waiting for these services by asking those waiting to complete a survey that measures the impact of their msk problem, at the start and end of their wait, and then understanding how the scores correlate with length of time waited. We will also ask some of these people to document their experience as they wait. We hope that this will provide an understanding of how effective the current target is at measuring access to these services, and whether we need to think differently. People will be able to complete this work in their own home.

Conditions

  • Musculoskeletal

Interventions

PROCEDURE

wait for outpatient appointment

this is an observational study measuring impact of pain and function at start and end of wait for those waiting for care from outpatient physiotherapy occupations therapy and podiatry

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Cardiff University

    collaborator OTHER

  • Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

    lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

  • Sara P James, MSc · Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-02-04
Primary Completion
2025-04-30
Completion
2025-09-30

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06829875 on ClinicalTrials.gov