Matched care not more care: effective early care in acute to chronic pain management
Beyond the Score: Using the Örebro to Design Matched Care
This face to face presentation will explore using the Örebro short form musculoskeletal pain screening questionnaire to develop effective, tailored and person-centred care matched to individuals based on their specific psychosocial risk profile.
Across musculoskeletal injuries, it is psychosocial factors, not physical factors which robustly predict those who are most at risk of persistent pain. The Örebro short form musculoskeletal pain screening questionnaire detects those most at risk quickly and reliably.
While the total score identifies, who is at risk, the domain pattern provides clues to what the risk profile is. Two people can land on the same aggregate score for very different reasons — one driven by fear-avoidance and low expectation of return to work, another by low mood and distress. These profiles, highlighted by domain scores from the tool, can inform treatment matched to the psychosocial risk profile.
Matched care is a decision framework built from these domain profiles. Rather than being a single treatment, it becomes a dynamic, tailored and person-centred approach. The specific pattern of elevated domains points to which strategies are likely to help, what a physiotherapist can address within their scope, and when multidisciplinary input — including psychology — adds real value rather than being applied by default.
Recovery by Design: The Science and Practice of Matched Care
Despite decades of research, musculoskeletal injuries continue to drive significant disability, healthcare utilisation, and claim costs across compensation and personal injury schemes. Traditional stepped-care approaches often delay access to appropriate support, while simply providing 'more care' has not consistently improved outcomes. Matched Care offers a different path.
This presentation explores how evidence-informed, personalised, coordinated and work-focused care can improve recovery outcomes for people with musculoskeletal injuries. Drawing on both the research literature and real-world implementation experience, we will examine how screening tools, clinical judgement and multidisciplinary support can be combined to create tailored pathways that address the physical, psychological and occupational factors influencing recovery.
Importantly, this session moves beyond theory. We will share outcomes from Axis matched-care programs operating within both CTP and workers' compensation schemes, including data from insurers and employers across Australia. Attendees will gain insight into implementation lessons, claimant engagement, referral pathways, psychology uptake, return-to-work outcomes, functional recovery, service utilisation, and scalability.
From whiplash injuries to work-related musculoskeletal conditions, discover how matched care is helping translate research into practice, reduce barriers to recovery, and support better outcomes for injured people, employers, providers and insurers.
Please note: This is a Face to Face Lecture only. Light refreshments will be provided. For further information you can contact chanel.whitfield@australian.physio