NCT04009369

Impacts of Physiotherapy Services in a Quebec Emergency Department

Completed NA Last updated 28 October 2020

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Direct access to a PT in Musculoskeletal Pain in 78 participants. Completed in 27 June 2019.

Timeline

10 September 2018

Primary endpoint
27 June 2019

27 June 2019

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Rose Gagnon
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	78
Start date	10 September 2018
Primary completion	27 June 2019
Estimated completion	27 June 2019
Sites	1 location across Canada

Drugs / interventions tested

• Direct access to a PT

Conditions studied

• Musculoskeletal Pain — all drugs for Musculoskeletal Pain →
• Musculoskeletal Diseases — all drugs for Musculoskeletal Diseases →
• Musculoskeletal Injury — all drugs for Musculoskeletal Injury →

Sponsor

Rose Gagnon

Who can join

Adults 18 to 80, any sex, with Musculoskeletal Pain or Musculoskeletal Diseases. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Emergency departments (ED) in several countries integrated physiotherapists in order to reduce wait times for patients with musculoskeletal disorders (MSKD). These initiatives have indeed reduced wait times, length of stay, time waited before seeing a professional and the prescription of unnecessary consultations and diagnostic tests. In Canada, such initiatives are marginal and their effects have not been studied.

The objectives of the project are to evaluate the effects of physiotherapy management of patients with MSKD in ED compared to usual practice on clinical course of patients, use of services and resources, and waiting time and length of stay in ED. The hypothesis is that patients presenting with a MSKD to the ED with direct access to a physiotherapist will have better clinical outcomes and that use of services, waiting time, and length of stay are going to be inferior to those of the EP group.

Publications & conference data

8 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Integration of primary contact physiotherapists in the emergency department for individuals presenting with minor musculoskeletal disorders: Protocol for an economic evaluation.
   Gagnon R, Hébert LJ, Guertin JR, Berthelot S, et al · · 2023 · cited 3× · PMID 37708179 · DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0277369
2. Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with a Musculoskeletal Disorder.
   Gagnon R, Perreault K, Guertin JR, Berthelot S, et al · · 2022 · cited 2× · PMID 35221700 · DOI 10.2147/ceor.s348138
3. Diagnostic concordance between physiotherapist and emergency physicians for patients with a musculoskeletal disorder in the emergency department
   Gagnon R, Perreault K, Brun G, Matifat E, et al · · 2020 · cited 1× · DOI 10.1101/2020.10.28.20221762
4. Could Primary Contact Physical Therapy Improve Emergency Department Care While Being Efficient? A 3-Month Cost-Utility Analysis.
   Gagnon R, Guertin JR, Perreault K, LaRue S, et al · · 2026 · PMID 41620834 · DOI 10.2519/jospt.2025.13429
5. Saving costs and improving clinical outcomes: A two-year cost-utility analysis of emergency department care models for managing persons presenting with musculoskeletal pain using hybrid modelling
   Gagnon R, Chouinard NH, Perreault K, LaRue S, et al · · 2025 · DOI 10.1101/2025.09.05.25335189
6. Saving money by integrating physiotherapists in the emergency department: Mission possible?
   · 2024
7. Impact on quality of life of two emergency department care models for people presenting with a musculoskeletal disorder
   · 2023
8. Health-related quality of life of patients presenting to the emergency department with a musculoskeletal disorder
   Gagnon R, Perreault K, Robert-Guertin J, Berthelot S, et al · · 2020 · DOI 10.1101/2020.10.28.20221713