PINNACLE: Physiotherapists INjectiNg the AnaesthetiC Lidocaine in Emergency

Grant ID: EMEG-073R41-2024-ANDERSON

Project Summary

Emergency Departments (EDs) are under considerable strain with increasing demand for services by consumers (1,2). In 2020-2021, there were approximately 8.8 million presentations to Australian public hospital EDs, a 6.9% increase compared to 2019-2020 (2). Increasing patient presentations into already crowded EDs drives the search for alternative approaches to patient care that might expedite treatment. At The Prince Charles General Emergency Department (TPCH-GED), a process for advanced scope Emergency Physiotherapy Practitioners (EPP) by certifying them to perform digital ring blocks to assist more timely management of finger/toe fractures/dislocations has been developed. This study aims to compare EPP performed digital ring blocks versus the current standard of care within TPCH-GED (medical officer (MO) administration) with respect to pain score of injection, adequate analgesia, first pass success; need for escalation, with secondary outcomes of time to block, patient satisfaction and ED length of stay between the EPP group and the MO group.

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