Patient experience of expanded-scope-of-practice musculoskeletal physiotherapy in the emergency department: a qualitative study.

Objective: The increasing number of people presenting to hospital with musculoskeletal conditions places pressure on existing services, and has resulted in expanding the scope of practice of musculoskeletal physiotherapists working in emergency departments (ED). The aim of the present study was to qualitatively explore the perspectives of patients presenting with an isolated musculoskeletal condition seen by a musculoskeletal physiotherapist in the ED of two Australian hospitals situated in contrasting geographical locations.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with nine participants from a major metropolitan hospital and 16 participants from a remote hospital.