Establishing a general practitioner led minor injury service: mixed methods evaluation at 10 months with an emphasis on use of radiology by GPs in the out-of-hours setting

A mixed methods study was conducted to evaluate a recently established general practitioner (GP) led minor injury (MI) service; it included a patient feedback study, a qualitative enquiry into the experience of the MI GPs, and analysis of use of radiology.

Forty-nine (81.6 %) patients surveyed were seen in 30 min or less. Forty-five (75 %) felt that the quality of the service was excellent/very good. Twenty-seven (45 %) responders felt that the X-ray service was expensive; 49 (81.6 %) patients said that they would be happy to use the service again. 271 X-rays were taken (137, 50.55 % upper limb, 95, 35.06 % lower limb, 18, 6.64 % CXR). One hundred and ninety-four (73.48 %) patients were self-financing. There was an 86.72 % (235/271) concordance between GP/radiologist findings. Issues elaborated by MI GPs at the focus group included secondary care/hospital interaction, patients’ experience, professional fulfilment, competence concerns, finances, and interest in educational resources; they were unanimous in maintaining the service at 10 months.

This study demonstrates a positive experience by patients, and conservative evaluation of X-rays by GPs.