GPs' experience of embedded Musculoskeletal Advanced Practice Physiotherapists in Primary Care: A cross-sectional survey with content analysis.

Background: General Practices across Scotland have expanded their multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) to include non-medical allied health professionals (NMAHPs) as part of the 2018 General Medical Services Contract (GMS), including musculoskeletal (MSK) Advanced Practice Physiotherapists (APPs). MDT expansion was hoped to reduce General Practitioner (GP) workloads and release their time to care for patients with complex needs. Published research concerning GPs' experiences of these roles is conflicting on whether they perceive this to be the case.

Advanced practice physiotherapists in Scottish primary care: Axial Spondyloarthropathy epidemiology, time to diagnosis, and referrals to rheumatology.

Objectives: (1) Generate empirical knowledge of a Musculoskeletal (MSK) Advanced Practice Physiotherapist (APP) Service in Scottish Primary Care; (2) Identify the incidence and baseline time to diagnosis of Axial Spondyloarthropathy (AxSpA); (3) Identify APP Rheumatology referral fulfilment of the NICE 2017 Guidelines and Spondylarthritis Diagnosis Evaluation (SPADE) Tool; (4) Calculate APP Rheumatology referral conversion rates for AxSpA diagnosis and further investigation; (5) Contribute towards the current body of literature for informing analysis of MSK APP services within Scottish Primary Care.

Methods: An audit and evaluation approach was undertaken over a 3-year period (May 2019-April 2022). Relevant clinical cases from the whole-service data-set were identified and analysed, using retrospective electronic healthcare record review and descriptive statistical techniques.