Background In response to issues with timely access for musculoskeletal physiotherapy, telephone assessment and advice services have been evaluated in primary care settings. It is unclear whether this service model can reduce wait times and non-attendance rates for Emergency Department (ED) physiotherapy, compared to usual care. A secondary aim was to evaluate service user acceptability. Methods This was a single-site cohort study that compares data on non-attendance rates, wait time to rst physiotherapy contact and participant satisfaction between patients that opted for a service based on initial telephone assessment and advice, versus routine face-to-face appointments. 116 patients were referred for ED physiotherapy over the 3-month pilot at the ED and outpatient physiotherapy department, X, Ireland. 91 patients (78%) opted for the telephone assessment and advice service, with 40% (n=36) contacting the service. 25 patients (22%) opted for the face-to-face service. Data on non-attendance rates and wait time was gathered using the hospital data reporting system. Satisfaction data was collected on discharge using a satisfaction survey adapted from the General Practice Assessment Questionnaire. Independent-samples t-test or Mann Whitney U Test was utilised depending on the distribution of the data. For categorical data, Chi-Square tests were performed. A level of signi cance of p ≤ 0.05 was set for this study. Results Those that contacted the telephone assessment and advice service had a signi cantly reduced wait time (median 6 days; 3-8 days) compared to those that opted for usual care (median 35 days; 19-39 days) (p ≤ 0.05). There was no signi cant between-group differences for non-attendance rates or satisfaction. Conclusion Given the faster access to ED physiotherapy, without compromising on service user satisfaction, this telephone assessment and advice service, which can be introduced rapidly, could be helpful in triaging referrals and minimising face-to-face consultations in line with COVID-19 recommendations. However, a large scale study is warranted to con rm these ndings.

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Study results suggest that physical activity interventions should especially target adolescents born prematurely who are older, female, with health problems, and with marked movement difficulties.

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