Editorial

Article Outline

• Copyright

Welcome to 2010 and the 15th volume of the Manual Therapy Journal. In 2009, the journal moved to the production of six issues per year. This was due to the increasing number of submissions year on year and the rise in the quality overall in submissions to the journal, a very positive reflection of the increasing amount of quality research and practice that is being undertaken in the musculoskeletal field internationally. This year Manual Therapy will publish a special issue of the journal related to the successful MACP/Kinetic Control Movement Dysfunction Conference held in Edinburgh, Scotland in October/November 2009. It is hoped that this special issue will create a focus for discussion and development of issues illuminated at the conference. An extensive editorial for the special issue will highlight these issues and create a forum for the debate.

At this time of year our editorial usually highlights some key issues for focus in the coming year. In these challenging economic times for the health (and other) sectors internationally, one important issue is how to identify and document evidence of the delivery of a high quality musculoskeletal therapy assessment and management experience for our patients coupled with high levels of satisfaction. There is also a need to look at how that quality is reflected in informed, appropriate and well structured patient information and educational packages. Internationally, emphasis has been placed on productivity of health services ensuring high quality care whilst also maximising the numbers of patients successfully treated. Not an easy task when dealing with Health Service Commissioners who often require “more for less”! This means that practitioners and administrators in both public and private sectors need to be innovative in service delivery thus ensuring that individuals are provided the best care with best efficiency. For many hospital and community departments who rely substantially on government funding, this could be quite challenging needing careful discussion and thought, informed by evidence and guidelines available. The challenge is likewise there for the private sector dealing with health funding insurance agencies.

These are challenging times, but the secret of success has to be in good record keeping, identifying useful data and collecting data which meaningfully supports the need and value of musculoskeletal services. Musculoskeletal services should work successfully and comply with the most recent and relevant evidence based guidelines to achieve specific standards of care. There is a need to ensure that practitioners are as up to date and skilled as they can be in relation to the evidence base and skills competencies. The right outcome measures must be utilised at the right time with the right client group to underpin the need for, the relevance of and successful achievements of the service provided. The bottom line is that evidence of service delivery, timing of delivery, the type of service offered, the expected and achieved outcomes as well as identifying what research evidence is used in practice is vital to ensuring our musculoskeletal services are commissioned, funded and valued. Colleagues in the UK Health Service are already facing these challenges quite markedly and these types of challenges are rarely isolated to a particular country or group. Therefore all practitioners need to ensure that they are mindful of the challenges ahead and prepare well and in a timely fashion.

May we wish you all a productive, high quality and innovative 2010.