The Australian Physiotherapy Association has called on the government to include physiotherapists in newly announced Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, which would see families in South Australia and Queensland get care from a nurse or doctor without having to wait in a hospital emergency department for non or semi-urgent presentations.

APA National President Scott Willis said it was well-documented how physiotherapists could help the current healthcare crisis faced in Australia.

“One in six GP presentations and around 20-25 per cent of emergency department presentations are for musculoskeletal conditions, which can be assessed, diagnosed, treated and discharged by physiotherapists,” Mr Willis said.

“We commend the governments’ ongoing commitment to rolling out Urgent Care Clinics. But evidence clearly shows that when physiotherapists are included in the model, alongside nurses and doctors, patients are able to access the right treatment faster and more cost-effectively,” Mr Willis said.

A recent Grattan Institute report on Medicare and general practice demonstrated how physiotherapists could provide expert diagnosis and treatment for musculoskeletal presentations without requiring a GP referral, as is now the model
in the UK.

“The Grattan Institute report found a significant gap between the contribution physiotherapists are able to make and the restrictions funding and policy have on physiotherapists in Australia. Physiotherapists are already relied on by GPs for our expertise in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions, so it’s critical we formalise this and include physiotherapists in these Urgent Care Clinics,” Mr Willis said.

“Formalising the process for patients with musculoskeletal concerns to see physiotherapists as their first port of call in Urgent Care Clinics, will divert non-life threatening conditions away from emergency departments to appropriately qualified and Ahpra-registered physiotherapists,” Mr Willis concluded.

Physiotherapist and clinical educator, David Renfrew, agrees, and said the current tendency for people to access GPs whenever ‘things hurt’, as putting increased pressure on doctors to treat problems in areas in which they weren’t experts.

“People will always need to seek medical advice when they are sick and to access medications,” Mr Renfrew said.

“The average GP consult time is decreasing further and further, meaning thorough assessment of musculoskeletal pain is difficult.

“The vast majority of things that hurt are not serious or sinister, but they are always concerning for the person feeling them,” he said.

Mr Renfrew said guideline-based care for musculoskeletal pain now recommended advice and education around staying active where possible, remaining at work, avoiding scans and pain medication, active rehab where necessary, and ongoing support as needed.

“The best placed health professional to do this is a physio,” he said.

“So, for things that hurt that aren't traumatic emergencies, physios (should) replace your GP.”

But, he said, there were a few things that needed to happen first, including more Medicare rebates for physiotherapists, and referral rights for imaging and specialists, as well as training pathways for physiotherapists to improve diagnostic and triaging skills.