Effective assessment and screening of Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in Primary Care (blended)
This course aims to improve practitioner knowledge, skills, and pattern recognition (diagnostic) reasoning when assessing and screening patients with MSK conditions in Primary and Interface Care.
We will use a blended learning, systems-thinking approach, with an emphasis on scenario-based learning to achieve this.
Enrol on this course
| Start date | Days and times |
|---|---|
| 7 February 2025 | 7 February (in-person) and 23 May 2025 (online) |
| Fee |
|---|
| £340 |
Who it’s for
Since the COVID pandemic, we have all been faced with managing patients with increasing clinical complexity, often with diminished resources.
This course is ideal for any Allied Health Professional (AHP) or medical practitioner working in a suitable Primary/Interface care role, e.g., First Contact Practitioners (FCPs), Nurse Practitioners (NPs), Paramedics etc., who as part of their role frequently have to assess, screen, and manage patients presenting with a variety of MSK conditions.
What you’ll learn
This course aims to improve clinician confidence and effectiveness in the assessment and screening of MSK patients in Primary/Interface care, using a blended learning, systems-thinking approach, with an emphasis on scenario-based reasoning.
The course will aim to cover the following key areas:
Day 1 (in-person)
Session 1: Clinical risk, coping with uncertainty, screening for serious pathology and mitigating risk/safety-netting
Session 2: Making the best use of Radiology in Primary/Interface care
Session 3: Clinical reasoning (scenario based)
Day 2 (online)
Session 1: Rheumatology screening within Primary/Interface care
Session 2: The optimal use of blood tests in Primary/Interface care
Topics covered
Day 1 (in-person)
Session 1: Clinical risk, coping with uncertainty, screening for serious pathology and mitigating risk/safety-netting
- clinical complexity. What is clinical complexity and the Cynefin model
- uncertainty. Theoretical frameworks for, coping with, managing and communicating uncertainty
- managing and mitigating clinical risk
- screening for serious pathology
Session 2: Making the best use of Radiology in Primary/Interface care
- IRMER and key legislation
- what does a good referral look like?
- interpreting the report
- basic Xray & MRI image interpretation
Session 3: Practitioner resilience and wellbeing
- clinical reasoning theories
- scenario-based clinical reasoning workshop
Day 2 (online)
Session 1: Rheumatology screening within Primary/Interface care
- pathophysiology
- case scenarios
- screening ‘top tips’ for a number of common rheumatology pathologies including spondyloarthropathies, rheumatoid arthritis, and crystal arthropathies
Session 2: The optimal use of blood tests in Primary/Interface care
- when to and when not to use blood tests in Primary/Interface care
- what tests to consider, including a summary of uses and application of a variety of common blood tests.
- case scenarios
Benefits
Upon completion of this course, you will have a better understanding of:
- clinical complexity theory and the associated evidence-base
- how to cope with clinical uncertainty and manage clinical risk
- the process and guidelines for screening for the presence of serious pathology in patients with MSK presentations
- the application and basic interpretation of common radiological investigations including Xray and MRI
- pathophysiology, pattern recognition reasoning and screening of common rheumatology pathologies
- the best use and basic interpretation of common blood tests used for the screening on MSK patients within primary/Interface care
Teaching information
You will receive a CPD certificate on completion for your portfolio. There is no planned assessment for this learning activity.
We will confirm information such as location, online login details etc., approximately 5-10 working days before each session.