{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,20]],"date-time":"2026-06-20T14:52:23Z","timestamp":1781967143910,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress)","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Physiotherapy Canada"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,31]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose: In 2017, publicly funded outpatient musculoskeletal physiotherapy services in Winnipeg, Manitoba, were consolidated by closing seven hospital-based departments and limiting access to patients who met specific diagnostic criteria. Our purpose was to compare service delivery metrics and patient demographics before and after service consolidation. Method: We used an exploratory, retrospective cohort study design. Service delivery metrics and patient demographics were obtained from the regional database and compared using inferential statistics. Results: Initial physiotherapy assessments conducted per month decreased by 85.4% (absolute numbers decreased from 18,261 initial assessments in 23 months pre-consolidation to 6,715 in 61\u00a0months post-consolidation). Treatment duration (days from assessment to discharge) increased, whereas the number of appointments per patient and wait times decreased (all p\u00a0&lt; 0.001). The mean age of patients decreased by 5.2 years ( p\u00a0&lt;\u00a00.001). More patients with wrist\/hand conditions and fewer patients with surgical knee and hip conditions were seen post-consolidation. Patients attending at both time points generally came from the same neighborhoods, and measures of deprivation and marginalization were intermediate or higher on Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation scales. Conclusions: Closing publicly funded outpatient physiotherapy services and changing eligibility limited access for many patients who may no longer be able to access necessary care if they cannot afford private services.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3138\/ptc-2024-0020","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,10]],"date-time":"2024-10-10T11:31:46Z","timestamp":1728559906000},"page":"169-176","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Consolidation of Publicly Funded Outpatient Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Services in Winnipeg, Manitoba: Effects on Accessibility and Service Delivery"],"prefix":"10.3138","volume":"78","author":[{"given":"Joanne L.","family":"Parsons","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"From the: Department of Physical Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sandra C.","family":"Webber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"From the: Department of Physical Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tory","family":"Crawford","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rehabilitation Physiotherapy Department, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shelley","family":"Sargent","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rehabilitation Physiotherapy Department, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Brenda","family":"Tittlemier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rehabilitation Physiotherapy Department, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kristy","family":"Wittmeier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Loring","family":"Chuchmach","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1696","reference":[{"key":"r1","unstructured":"Canadian Physiotherapy Association. 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J Crit Rev. 2016;3(4):17\u201323."},{"key":"r7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Passalent LA, Landry MD, Cott CA. Wait times for publicly funded outpatient and community physiotherapy and occupational therapy services: implications for the increasing number of persons with chronic conditions in Ontario, Canada. Physiother Canada. 2009;61(1):5\u201314. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3138\/physio.61.1.5. PMID: 20145747; PMCID: PMC2788316","DOI":"10.3138\/physio.61.1.5"},{"key":"r8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"McFadden B, Jones McGrath K, Lowe T, Examining the supply of and demand for physiotherapy in Saskatchewan: the relationship between where physiotherapists work and population health need. Physiother Canada. 2016;68(4):335\u201345. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3138\/ptc.2015-70. PMID: 27904233; PMCID: PMC5125501","DOI":"10.3138\/ptc.2015-70"},{"key":"r9","unstructured":"Government of Canada. Canada Health Act [cited 2023 Nov 20]. 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