A narrative synthesis of the effectiveness and acceptability of musculoskeletal first contact physiotherapy practitioner roles in primary care.

Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) First Contact Practitioners (FCP), diagnostic clinicians with expertise in the assessment and management of undifferentiated MSK conditions in primary care have been widely employed in the United Kingdom since 2020. The role aims to bring specialist clinical knowledge to patients at the first point of contact and reduce the burden on existing primary care services. Since the national adoption of the role, little has been published to support the effectiveness or acceptability of the role.

Development, spread and impact of primary care and musculoskeletal communities of practice to assist rapid translation of evidence into practice.

Background: Embedding research into practice is challenging. Barriers include: a shortage of time, lack of understanding of the evidence and a poor support in the clinical setting. A community of practice (CoP) model has been used to address these issues.

A systematic review and evidence synthesis of non-medical triage, self-referral and direct access services for patients with musculoskeletal pain.

Introduction: The demand for musculoskeletal (MSK) care is rising, and is a growing challenge for general practice. Direct access to physiotherapy and other healthcare services may offer appropriate care for MSK pain patients but there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness or efficiency of this approach in practice. This study aimed to review the evidence regarding characteristics, outcomes, barriers and facilitators of MSK triage and direct access services.