Table 5 Summary of findings

 Pain

MD in change −3.3 (−8.9 to 2.5);

OR (6 mths) 0.9 (0.0 to 2.1)

519

(2 RCTs)

Low^b.c

PT triage may result in little or no difference in pain compared with standard care.

 Functional disability

MD in change 2.7 (−1.7 to 7.2);

OR (6 mths) ranged from 1.4 to 2.0

318

(2 RCTs)

Low^b,c

PT triage may result in little or no difference in functional disability compared with standard care.

 Health state

MD in change ranged from

−5.7 (−11.1 to −0.2)

to 2.3 (−2.2 to 6.7)

524

(2 RCTs)

Very low^b,c.d

It is uncertain whether PT triage results in any difference in health state compared with standard care.

 Psychological status

MD in change −0.4 (−1.0 to 0.4);

OR (6 mths) 1.9 (0.5 to 8.1)

512

(2 RCTs)

Low^b,c

PT triage may result in little or no difference in psychological status compared with standard care.

 Health-related quality of life

MD 0.0 (−0.1 to 1.1);

OR (6 mths) ranged from 0.9 to 4.6.

537

(2 RCTs)

Low^b,c

PT triage may result in little or no difference in psychological status compared with standard care.

 Quality of care

Patient satisfaction:

MD 3.0 (1.3 to 4.9)

Quality from the Patient’s Perspective: MD 0.7^a

549

(2 RCTs)

5 cohort studies also indicate high patient satisfaction

Moderate^,b

PT triage probably slightly improves quality of care compared with standard care.

 Sick leave

8 patients fewer;

MD 74 days

203

(1 RCT)

Low^b,c

PT triage may result in little or no difference in sick days compared with standard care.

 Surgery conversion rate

Mean percentage difference

30% (11 to 49%).

203

(1 RCT)

3 cohort studies also present higher conversion rates

Moderate^,b

PT triage probably results in higher surgery conversion rate than standard care.

 Agreement on treatment approach (conservative or surgical)

Percentage agreement on treatment approach ranged from 70 to 93%.

910

(8 cohort studies)

Low

PT triage may have moderate to high agreement with standard care regarding treatment approach.

 Investigation referrals

Mean percentage difference ranged from −27.6 to 32.8%

643

(2 RCTs)

2 cohort studies present an equivalent number of investigation referrals

Moderate^,b

PT triage probably results in a reduction in investigation referrals compared with standard care.

 Agreement on investigation referrals

Percentage agreement on investigation referrals ranged from 70 to 98%.

631

(5 cohort studies)

Low

PT triage may have varied agreement with standard care regarding investigation referrals.

 Agreement on diagnosis

Percentage agreement on diagnosis ranged from 42 to 98%.

1062

(9 cohort studies)

Low

PT triage may have moderate to high agreement with standard care regarding diagnosis.

 Waiting time

MD −9 days

203

(1 RCT)

(1 cohort study also shows significantly shorter waiting time in PT group)

Moderate^,b

PT triage probably reduces waiting time compared with standard care.

 Cost effectiveness

MD in direct hospital costs per patient^a -£242

470

(1 RCT)

Moderate^,b

PT triage is probably more cost effective than standard care.