Doctors at Worthing Hospital have developed a new initiative to track the progress of people suffering with joint problems and back pain.

Patients now complete a short questionnaire before their first treatment and after their final treatment.

The results are put into a computer system, which gives an overview of 12,000 outpatients seeking physiotherapy advice each year.

For the first time, physiotherapists have detailed information about the effectiveness of different treatments.

The data can determine how people with different conditions respond to acupuncture, hydrotherapy and other treatments.

Research physiotherapist Anne Jackson, who has been developing the database for 18 months, said: "A lack of information about the effectiveness of different back pain treatments has meant physiotherapists cannot always be sure which treatment will work best for each patient.

"With this new computer system, we will have the data to be able to carry out comprehensive comparisons so we can tailor the treatment to the patient's needs."

Anne recently presented her work at the World Confederation of Physical Therapy in Barcelona, where experts from around the world showed considerable interest in the project.

Eight out of ten people will experience back pain at some point in their lives and the physiotherapy department sees an average 12,000 people each year with musculoskeletal problems.

Worthing and Southlands Hospitals Trust is one of only 17 in the country to have appointed a consultant physiotherapist. Chris Mercer has been in the post since January.