Before the clinic started in June, a survey of Dunedin GPs revealed nearly 90% dissatisfaction with access to first specialist appointments at the Southern District Health Board's Dunedin orthopaedic outpatient service.
Three months in to its year-long trial, the Dunedin Hospital clinic treats six patients a week. It has capacity for a dozen.
Dr Abbott helped develop the clinic proposal, which received $200,000 National Health Board funding.
It aims to help the 40% of osteoarthritis patients referred by their GP to an orthopaedic surgeon who cannot see them because of lack of resources.
Dr Abbott and his team plan another survey of GPs around April next year to determine whether the service reduced "unmet need" in the community.
The clinic had taken a low-key approach so it did not become oversubscribed.
"We were very conscious about shouting from the rooftops that we have got a new way of helping [osteoarthritis] patients as it might have led to an inundation of referrals."
The survey, conducted around April, was unveiled to GPs at the clinic's launch in May.
Compared with their dissatisfaction with first specialist appointments, GPs were reasonably happy with other aspects of the service.
Nearly 80% were satisfied with the timeliness of feedback, while more than 55% were satisfied with overall patient management. However, about 40% were dissatisfied with overall patient management.
The joint clinic uses a multidisciplinary approach to help patients.
A senior physiotherapist and a nurse saw the patients, who were referred to different allied health specialties, or back to surgeons if necessary, an update in this month's newsletter to GPs said.
Dr Abbott is a senior research fellow in the orthopaedic section of the department of surgical sciences at the University of Otago's Dunedin School of Medicine.
