Abstract
Objectives
Health Care Professionals (HCPs) need to identify potentially serious musculoskeletal (MSK) presentations in children and refer to specialists appropriately. Our aim was to develop ‘pGALSplus’ to support clinical assessment, aid decision-making and assess feasibility and acceptability in exemplar MSK pathologies.
Methods
Three-phase mixed methods approach: Phase 1; preliminary stakeholder engagement and scoping review to propose ‘pGALSplus’; Phase 2: iterative development of ‘pGALplus’ involving expert working group; Phase 3; testing feasibility of pGALSplus in exemplar MSK conditions (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis [JIA], Mucopolysaccharidoses [MPS], Muscular Dystrophy [MD], Developmental Coordination Disorder [DCD] and healthy controls [HC]). Final pGALSplus was derived from analysis of Phase 3 data and feedback from HCPs, families and expert consensus input from an international e-survey [n = 22] and virtual event [n = 13]).
Results
Feasibility was tested in 45 children (JIA n = 10; MPS n = 6; MD n = 9; DCD n = 10; HC n = 10); overall the assessment was achievable in target age range (2–10 years) and quick to complete (median 12 min [range 8–20]) with high acceptability from families. Expert feedback deemed pGALSplus to be very useful and of particular use to non-specialists in MSK paediatrics. The final pGALSplus comprises 26 clinical observations/skills with a colour-coding approach to aid decision-making and identification of more serious MSK presentations and additional resources to support its use in clinical practice.
Conclusions
pGALSplus is a novel evidence and consensus-based assessment building on pGALS with high acceptability and feasibility. As community-based MSK assessment in children becomes more established, we propose that pGALSplus will facilitate and inform decision-making to promote access to specialist care.
Health Care Professionals (HCPs) need to identify potentially serious musculoskeletal (MSK) presentations in children and refer to specialists appropriately. Our aim was to develop ‘pGALSplus’ to support clinical assessment, aid decision-making and assess feasibility and acceptability in exemplar MSK pathologies.
Methods
Three-phase mixed methods approach: Phase 1; preliminary stakeholder engagement and scoping review to propose ‘pGALSplus’; Phase 2: iterative development of ‘pGALplus’ involving expert working group; Phase 3; testing feasibility of pGALSplus in exemplar MSK conditions (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis [JIA], Mucopolysaccharidoses [MPS], Muscular Dystrophy [MD], Developmental Coordination Disorder [DCD] and healthy controls [HC]). Final pGALSplus was derived from analysis of Phase 3 data and feedback from HCPs, families and expert consensus input from an international e-survey [n = 22] and virtual event [n = 13]).
Results
Feasibility was tested in 45 children (JIA n = 10; MPS n = 6; MD n = 9; DCD n = 10; HC n = 10); overall the assessment was achievable in target age range (2–10 years) and quick to complete (median 12 min [range 8–20]) with high acceptability from families. Expert feedback deemed pGALSplus to be very useful and of particular use to non-specialists in MSK paediatrics. The final pGALSplus comprises 26 clinical observations/skills with a colour-coding approach to aid decision-making and identification of more serious MSK presentations and additional resources to support its use in clinical practice.
Conclusions
pGALSplus is a novel evidence and consensus-based assessment building on pGALS with high acceptability and feasibility. As community-based MSK assessment in children becomes more established, we propose that pGALSplus will facilitate and inform decision-making to promote access to specialist care.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | rkae089 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Rheumatology Advances in Practice |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 1 Aug 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Keywords
- pGALS
- musculoskeletal
- children
- assessment
- allied health
- rheumatology
- development
- muscle disease