Help us build a profile about the work of physiotherapists in Australian general practice!

This pilot study involves testing an electronic data collection tool called OCEAN (Occasions of Care Explained and ANalysed). The OCEAN tool has been created for use in several planned projects about the clinical activity of nurses, nurse practitioners and physiotherapists working in general practice. The OCEAN tool has undergone technical testing, and this pilot study aims to test how OCEAN will work in real-time.

Where has OCEAN come from?

OCEAN is based on the structure and methods used in Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH), a study of general practitioner clinical activity conducted between 1998 and 2016.

Why is the OCEAN study being done?

Research in general practice has historically focused on the roles of general practitioners. However, effective primary care relies on a range of health professionals, including general practice nurses (GPNs) nurse practitioners (NPs), and physiotherapists (PTs). There is currently no comprehensive way to capture data on the clinical contributions of PTs and the value they bring to multidisciplinary team-based care. OCEAN provides an exciting opportunity for PTs working in general practice to highlight the value of their work.

What does the pilot study involve?

We aim to recruit up to fifty physiotherapists working in general practice to complete the OCEAN pilot study. Everyone who takes part will be asked to complete the following:

• a Professional Profile – a survey that asks about the physiotherapist’s education, skills and experience
• an encounter form for each of 100 patient encounters (equalling 100 encounter forms in total)
• a feedback survey.

Do I need to complete all 100 encounters?

Yes, please! Recording details of 100 consecutive encounters allows us to get a good overview of your clinical practice. As we intend for the main OCEAN study to consist of recording 100 encounters, it is important that we test this in the same way for the pilot study. If you feel like you will struggle to complete all 100 encounters, please contact our research team on 1800 2OCEAN (1800 2 62326) and we will do our best to help.