Assessment and management of common musculoskeletal injuries

A minor injury has been described as a mechanical process with a clear history of direct trauma.¹ The assessment and management of minor injuries is often associated with emergency departments (ED) or minor injury units (MIU); however, patients will often access primary care services with minor injuries. This is evident in the development of GP-led walk-in centres designed to improve patient access² —with nurses in these settings involved in minor injury assessment and management. In MIUs, emergency nurse practitioners are trained to assess and manage minor injuries, however, general practice nurses may not have the same opportunities to access this level of training.