New paper shows impact and value of community-based MSK care

A paper evaluating the effectiveness of the ESCAPE-pain programme delivered in community centres – “Community‐based care for people with chronic knee and hip pain: Preliminary clinical outcomes and healthcare utilisation for ESCAPE‐pain” – shows the positive impact of the programme on levels of participant activity. Before the programme, only 24% of participants were classified as ‘fairly active/active’ (doing more than 30 minutes of activity per week); after the programme, 78% were classified as ‘fairly active/active’; 6 months later, 69% were still ‘fairly active/active’. Participants used less healthcare after completing the ESCAPE-pain programme, resulting in savings of £326.16/participant.

ESCAPE-pain, which stands for stands for Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain using Exercise, is an evidence-based group rehabilitation programme for people with chronic joint pain that integrates educational self-management and coping strategies with an exercise regimen individualised for each participant. It is supported by Orthopaedic Research UK under licence from the Health Innovation Network (HIN). 

The programme was developed by Professor Mike Hurley who says, ‘We’ve been delivering ESCAPE-pain in community centres since 2014, so we knew it was effective, but showing it increased and sustained physical activity is a new finding that’s really important.  Demonstrating how the community sector can save the health system money, should promote partnership working and better, integrated care between the two sectors.”

To read the full report, which is Open Access, follow this link: https://lnkd.in/eWTn6Xfw