Highly commended, Metro North Research Excellence Awards 2019

A/Prof Tracy Comans from UQ’s Health Economics Research & Modelling Unit was part of the Physiotherapy Screening Clinics Telehealth Research Team, led by Michelle Cottrell, which was awarded a highly commended prize for the Health Services and Implementation Research Award at the 2019 Metro North Research Excellence Awards.

Over the past four years, this successful collaboration between Metro North Hospital and Health Service and UQ has linked six projects to scientifically implement telehealth into Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Physiotherapy Screening Clinics, resulting in improved access to care and sustainable service models for patients with complex musculoskeletal conditions. The implemented telehealth service has addressed barriers for patients on Neurosurgery and Orthopaedics waitlists, reducing waitlists and enabling early access to expert assessment and management.