The clinical course of shoulder pain: prospective cohort study in primary care: Table 1

Abstract

Study GroupCurrent knowledge of the clinical course and efficacy of treatment for shoulder pain comes mainly from studies of hospital patients.However, only a few patients experiencing such pain require referral to a specialist.Although shoulder pain is common in the general population, the outcome of patients presenting in general practice is unknown.'We conducted a prospec- tive cohort study to determine the outcome of shoulder pain in primary care. Methods and resultsTwelve general practitioners recruited 166 patients who consulted with a new episode of shoulder pain dur- ing one year.They recorded demographic information, diagnosis, management, and an assessment of passive elevation of the shoulder; patients assessed the disability associated with their symptoms with a validated 22 item disability questionnaire.! To assess outcome, identical disability questionnaires were sent to patients six and 18 months after consultation, together with a question measuring self assessed change in symptoms in the intervening period.A total of 125 (75%) patients provided follow up information at six months and 95 (57%) at 18 months.