Ainhoa Goienetxea
Senior Lecturer in Production Engineering
The project develops more effective and better coordinated care for people with musculoskeletal disorders by reducing waiting times, unnecessary appointments and barriers to care.
"This research can help create healthcare that works better for both patients and staff. More efficient ways of working can make care more equitable, sustainable, and better aligned with people's real needs."
Ainhoa Goienetxea, Senior Lecturer in Production Engineering
Musculoskeletal disorders are a common cause of pain
Musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain, osteoarthritis, and other conditions affecting muscles and joints are among the most common causes of pain, disability, and reduced quality of life. Today, more than 1.7 billion people worldwide live with these conditions.
At the same time, care pathways are often fragmented, with long waiting times and poor coordination, creating frustration for both patients and healthcare professionals.
New care pathways for better and more equitable care
This research project aims to contribute to more coordinated, equitable, and sustainable care for people with musculoskeletal conditions.
The goal is to develop new care pathways that provide the right care at the right time as close to the patient’s home as possible.
By focusing on what truly creates value for patients, the project seeks to reduce unnecessary steps in care delivery while improving both patient experiences and health outcomes.
Improving care pathways
The project combines principles from Lean healthcare and value-based healthcare to analyse current care pathways, identify bottlenecks, and co-design improved solutions together with patients and healthcare professionals.
Patients’ experiences and self-reported outcomes play a central role in shaping the new pathways.
Digital care and testing new ways of working
Where appropriate, the project will also explore how digital solutions such as telerehabilitation and digital tools for shared decision-making can empower patients and improve coordination between primary care, community care, and specialist services.
The redesigned care pathways will be tested in real-world healthcare settings and evaluated in terms of patient benefit, cost-effectiveness, equity, and environmental impact.
By reducing unnecessary visits and travel, the project aims to make care both more accessible and more environmentally sustainable.
International collaboration for better care
The project is carried out through close collaboration between researchers, healthcare professionals, decision-makers, and patients in several European countries, with the ambition to develop solutions that can be scaled up and adapted to different healthcare systems.
Ultimately, the project seeks to support a healthcare system that works better – for people, for professionals, and for society as a whole.
Project management
- Maria Luisa Merino Hernandez, Project Leader, Fundación Hospitalarias
- Ainhoa Goienetxea, Project Leader at the University of Skövde
Other members of the research team
- Kristens Gudfinnsson, University of Skövde
- Miranda Kedbäck, University of Skövde
- Myriam Soto Ruiz de Gordoa, Fundación Hospitalarias
- Nerea Zenigaonaindia, Mondragon University
- Gudmundur Valur Oddsson, University of Iceland
- Maria-Louisa Busutill, Ministry for Health and Active Ageing
