Discussion
THA/TKA, pain
DISORDER, SECONDARY, SAID
To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing patients’ perceived quality of care after PT-led triage with standard care in a secondary care setting for patients with hip or knee OA. The perceived quality of care was assessed with a short form of the QPP within a week after the examination at the orthopedic clinic. Overall, patients in both groups reported good quality of care. However, significant differences between the groups were found on some questions on the QPP, one in favor for the PT-led triage group and three in favor for the standard care group.Before implementing a new care model at the clinic, it is important to evaluate the model’s suitability. A good care model is characterized by being patient-centered [One of the PT’s main tasks, in both primary and secondary care, is to give patients advice on how to best handle their daily activities and to recommend appropriate physical activities. Information, exercise and pain relief are given to a greater extent during an assessment by a PT compared with other medical staff [The standard care group reported having more opportunity to participate in the clinical decision-making progress relating to their continued care. One of the OS’s main tasks is to determine whether a patient is suitable for surgical intervention and subsequently perform the surgery if needed. This makes it possible for the OS to be more flexible during their assessment, to discuss the different treatment options with the patient to a greater extent and, together with the patient, decide on the best option. In the present study, in the PT-led triage group, only patients who were evidently not suitable for THA/TKA received the decision during the assessment meeting. The remaining patients did not receive the decision during the assessment meeting but instead had to wait for a letter with the final decision about the most suitable care and they were therefore not able to participate in the final decision-making process. In most cases, the patients received the decision after they had already submitted the QPP. This may explain the difference in the question regarding the opportunity to participate in the clinical decision-making process. As mentioned, a key component of a good care model is involving the patient in the decision-making process relating to their care [Expectations of the visit were met to a greater extent in the standard care group. When consulting a caregiver (PT or physician), it has previously been reported that the most important expectation is not to recover but to have their disorder confirmed [Overall, patients in both groups perceived good quality of care. For example, patients in both groups were positive about visiting the clinic again in the future, if needed. Furthermore, both groups said that they received information to a greater extent about how examinations and treatments would take place, together with the results of the examinations and treatments. Previous studies of a PT-led triage care model report a high level of agreement on diagnosis and treatment approach [