Clinical Characteristics and Variation in Musculoskeletal Complexity of Different Ethnic Populations Accessing Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital's MSK Service: A Service Evaluation.

Introduction: Health inequality is a global public health challenge, limited by insufficient high-quality data and analysis. Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain disorders are more prevalent among ethnic minority groups disproportionately affected by socioeconomic disparities and poor health outcomes. Ethnicity data collection enables NHS organisations and policymakers to understand specific healthcare needs and ensure equitable access and care provision.

Objective: To understand the baseline clinical characteristics across ethnic population groups accessing MSK care at Sandwell and West Birmingham (SWB) NHS Trust.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of routine data collected using patient self-report surveys (August 2020-February 2023). Core metrics included demographics, pain characteristics, and Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) including the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). Descriptive statistics and statistical tests were undertaken, with means, percentage values and variation by ethnic groups across baseline MSK-HQ and pain scores reported.

Results: Survey data were provided by 13,248 patients, with 7295 (55.06%) stating their ethnicity. Statistical differences were found between baseline MSK-HQ and NPRS scores between ethnic groups. The mean MSK-HQ score was 24.1 overall, lowest in the Asian group (22.3) and highest in the Mixed group (24.8). Mean baseline pain intensity was (7.8), highest in the Asian group (8.3). One or more comorbidities were present in 46% of patients, with the highest percentage in the White and Black groups sequentially.

Conclusion: Baseline health inequalities exist among ethnic groups accessing the SWB MSK service. Disparities may be associated with patient or system barriers and require further exploration.