AB102. SOH23ABS_250. A profile of patients with shoulder pain attending the musculoskeletal triage clinic in Connolly Hospital
Orthopaedic Session II

AB102. SOH23ABS_250. A profile of patients with shoulder pain attending the musculoskeletal triage clinic in Connolly Hospital

Sarah O’Farrell, Paula Tansey, Niall O’Mahony, Claire Bermingham, Olivia Flannery, Patrick Groarke, Ciara Fox, Paddy Kenny, Yassir Hammad, Adrian Cassar-Gheiti, Fintan Doyle

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Connolly Hospital, Abbotstown, Dublin, Ireland

Background: Clinical specialist physiotherapists (CSP) have been assessing patients in musculoskeletal (MSK) triage clinics nationally since 2010. There is a close correlation between physiotherapists and surgeons in making the correct diagnosis. Physiotherapy involving a structured exercise program is the first line treatment for patients with rotator cuff related shoulder pain (RCRSP) and is recommended prior to orthopaedic consultant referral. The benefit of an early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in these patients is questionable and may cause patients undue concern about normal age-related changes in their shoulder.

Methods: Data from October 2021–October 2022 MSK clinics in Connolly Hospital were collated on Excel. Those who were deemed to have a shoulder condition following assessment were included in the study. G2 dictation system letters were reviewed to determine diagnosis, duration of symptoms, physiotherapy referral and MRI history. Discharge rates and referrals to physiotherapy/orthopaedics for review and/or injection were also included.

Results: A total of 193 shoulder patients were seen in the MSK clinic and 188 were included with five patients lost to follow up. Fifty-two percent (n=90) of patients had a shoulder MRI prior to orthopaedic referral and only 36% (n=68) of patients had been referred to physiotherapy; 50% (n=94) of patients were diagnosed with RCRSP. Of these, 61% (n=114) had an MRI upon review; 57% (n=107) of all shoulder patients were referred to physiotherapy after assessment; 29% (n=54) were referred onwards for an injection; 57% (n=107) of all patients and 66% (n=62) of RCRSP patients were discharged without the need for consultant review.

Conclusions: The majority of patients referred to the orthopaedic service had an MRI prior to referral and did not receive any physiotherapy prior to their appointment. This highlights a discrepancy with the recommended guidelines for RCRSP.

Keywords: Musculoskeletal clinics (MSK clinics); orthopaedics; physiotherapy; rotator cuff related shoulder pain (RCRSP); shoulder

Acknowledgments

Funding: None.

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/map-23-ab102
Cite this abstract as: O’Farrell S, Tansey P, O’Mahony N, Bermingham C, Flannery O, Groarke P, Fox C, Kenny P, Hammad Y, Cassar-Gheiti A, Doyle F. AB102. SOH23ABS_250. A profile of patients with shoulder pain attending the musculoskeletal triage clinic in Connolly Hospital. Mesentery Peritoneum 2023;7:AB102.

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