ReviewAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2016
A review of the surgical conversion rate and independent management of spinal extended scope practitioners in a secondary care setting.
Review in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Clinical pathways for the management of low back pain from primary to specialised care: a systematic review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2022Pooled it
- Advanced practice physiotherapy for adults with spinal pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of musculoskeletal expert input on low back pain outcomes: A randomised controlled trial.PloS one · 2026Trial
- The Referrer Matters. Musculoskeletal Surgical Conversion Rates: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.Health services insights · 2024Article
- Was the impact of COVID-19 on a spinal triage service as significant as expected? A retrospective service evaluation: Results and evaluation.Musculoskeletal care · 2022Article
- A physiotherapy triage service for orthopaedic upper limb service: an effective way to reduce clinic visits and identify patients for operative intervention.Irish journal of medical science · 2022Observational
- Article
- European region of the WCPT statement on physiotherapy in primary care.Primary health care research & development · 2019Article
- Physiotherapist-Led Triage at a Rheumatology-Based Musculoskeletal Assessment Clinic: an 18-Month Service Evaluation of Activity and Outcomes.ACR open rheumatology · 2019Article
- Requesting spinal MRIs effectively from primary care referrals.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2018Article
- Advanced practice physiotherapy-led triage in Irish orthopaedic and rheumatology services: national data audit.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2018Article
- The integration of a Podiatrist into an orthopaedic department: a cost-consequences analysis.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSpinal orthopaedic triage aims to reduce unnecessary referrals to surgical consultants, thereby reducing waiting times to be seen by a surgeon and to surgical intervention. This paper presents an evaluation of a spinal orthopaedic triage service in the third largest spinal unit in the UK.
methodsA retrospective service evaluation spanning 2012 to 2014 was undertaken by members of the extended scope practitioner (ESP) team to evaluate the ESPs' ability to manage patient care independently and triage surgical referrals appropriately. Data collected included rates of independent management, referral rates for surgical consideration and conversion to surgery. Patient satisfaction rates were evaluated retrospectively from questionnaires given to 5% of discharged patients.
resultsA total of 2,651 patients were seen. The vast majority (92%) of all referrals seen by ESPs were managed independently. Only 8% required either a discussion with a surgeon to confirm management or for surgical review. Of the latter, 81% were considered to be suitable surgical referrals. A 99% satisfaction rate was reported by discharged patients.
conclusionsESP services in a specialist spinal service are effective in managing spinal conditions conservatively and identifying surgical candidates appropriately. Further research is needed to confirm ESPs' diagnostic accuracy, patient outcomes and cost effectiveness.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.