Patients with musculoskeletal conditions often seek care in emergency departments (ED). The problem is that the time required to manage these patients places a great deal of pressure on the ED medical and nursing staff, who are primarily trained and resourced to manage high acuity patients. Primary-contact physiotherapists could play a greater role in supporting the ED team in the management of patients presenting with musculoskeletal conditions. The RESHAP-ED trial is a multicentre, pragmatic, open-label, two-arm, parallel randomised controlled trial with nested process and economic evaluations. The trial will investigate whether a primary-contact physiotherapy service when compared to usual care (primary-contact by physicians or nurse practitioners) reduces the time patients spend in ED. A total of 1,370 patients with simple musculoskeletal conditions will be recruited from six EDs in New South Wales, Australia. The primary effectiveness outcome is the ED length of stay. Secondary outcomes include patient-reported outcomes, adverse events, and healthcare costs. The adjusted mean difference in ED length of stay and 95% confidence interval will be calculated using linear regression adjusted for hospital using a random effect model.  

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This project has finished recruiting.

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​The project has received ethics approval from Sydney Local Health District and is funded by MRRF (2.8 million) 

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For more information about this project, please contact Dr Gustavo Machado. gustavo.machado@sydney.edu.au