PhysioNow identifies a potentially serious condition on a Friday afternoon, enabling immediate treatment outside working hours, saving 3-day delay to assessment

PhysioNow detected a possible significant condition at the end of normal working hours, enabling Joe to receive quicker access to clinical advice and urgent investigations.

Joe is 22 years of age and was referred to Connect Health from his GP with low back pain on a Friday afternoon. He was directed to PhysioNow® and he completed the online assessment the same day. The outcome was a referral to urgent NHS 111 due to a new onset of bladder urgency and difficulty controlling urine. (These symptoms are potential indicators of a rare but serious condition called cauda equina syndrome (CES) where the nerves at the bottom of the spine which control bladder/bowel function can be compressed).

The Connect Health clinician called the patient the following Monday to check on his symptoms and the outcome of calling NHS 111.

  • Joe had followed the advice given and called NHS 111.
  • An ambulance was called and Joe was admitted to hospital following his attendance in A+E.
  • He had an MRI scan as the Consultant was concerned he may have CES due to his bladder symptoms and also rapidly worsening bilateral leg pain.
  • Luckily no Cauda Equina Compression was detected but a large disc bulge was identified – no emergency surgery was required which would have been the case if CES had been identified.

 

Outcome summary

This gentleman had a potential serious condition picked up by PhysioNow’s clinical algorithms. He followed the advice given and via NHS 111 and then A+E, he was admitted to a spinal ward and was investigated to exclude CES. This was all done with him having completed PhysioNow on the day of referral and at 3.30pm on a Friday afternoon, his emergency assessments all took place over the weekend. In this case PhysioNow detected a possible significant condition at the end of normal working hours and without PhysioNow this gentleman would have waited a number of days for a consultation, if this had indeed been CES any delay can impact significantly on recovery.

 

 

Download Joe’s full story here

Find out more about Connect Health’s Patient Services here

 

Name has been changed and photograph posed by model to protect individual’s privacy
Connect Health® and PhysioNow® are registered trademarks