Satisfaction, QoL,Health Status & Clinic Outcomes for Patients Attending MSK Triage Clinics in Rheumatology

A Study to Measure the Patient Satisfaction, Quality of Life, Health Status and Clinic Outcomes for Patients Attending MSK Triage Clinics in Rheumatology

The aim of this study is to measure the impact of musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints on the quality of life and general health of MSK Patients attending MSK triage clinics. The investigators will also record the proposed management options for patients' complaints. This will be achieved by asking patients to complete questionnaires (MSK HQ) at musculoskeletal triage clinic appointment, by undertaking a clinical assessment, by recording the proposed management plan and assessing if patients have follow up appointments for the same complaint in the following year. The investigators will also measure patient satisfaction using VSQ 9 Questionnaire. After a year the investigators will repeat the MSK HQ to assess the longterm impact of MSK Triage appointment on the MSK complaint.

At present there is no data available to describe the impact of musculoskeletal (MSK) disease on the Quality of life and General Health for patients attending Rheumatology MSK triage clinics in SUH and OHLM or in similar service around Ireland. A new questionnaire (MSK HQ) has been developed which has been validated in use with this population. This will be completed by the patient on the day of the appointment and again a year later. Their number of visits to secondary care in the year after their visit will also be captured and analysed. This information will inform the health service of the outcomes of these patients and the impact of their MSK disease on the health service. It will also help with resource allocation and planning for future services, which will ensure the best service for these patients in the future.

Alongside this, Patient satisfaction and feedback is vital to ensuring service quality and quality improvement. The VSQ 9 will be used to measure Patient Satisfaction in this study to evaluate if patients are satisfied with the service they have received on the day. The repeated MSK HQ will help identify if their triage clinic appointment was beneficial to their Quality of life.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years and over
• Patients who attend the musculoskeletal Triage Clinic in Rheumatology.
• Patients who can answer the study questionnaires independently.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under 18 years
• Patients who present with red flag conditions, inflammatory disease or non-musculoskeletal conditions.
• Patients who cannot answer the study questionnaires independently.