JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Musculoskeletal conditions have high, and increasing, incidence and prevalence. Although there are many clinical guidelines available for common conditions, most are poor quality and sparsely adopted into practice.

Objective:

We aim to improve patient outcomes by developing robust Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) to get research findings into practice for a range of common musculoskeletal conditions.

Methods:

Mixed methods with systematic review of high-quality studies and qualitative elicitation of both patient’s perspectives and expert clinical reasoning through in-depth interviews will form the basis for the BPGs. A segregated convergent synthesis, informed throughout by stakeholder engagement, will guide the format and structure of the BPGs.

Results:

NA

Conclusions:

Ethical approval for the qualitative studies and implementation events will be obtained from university and health service research ethics committees. Educational packages for each BPG condition will be hosted online and be available for students, clinicians, and education providers. Dissemination will follow traditional routes including publications and presentations; alongside innovative approaches such as collaboration with higher education institutions, online hosting, adoption by professional bodies, and a social media campaign. Implementation will occur adaptively in multiple national contexts to reflect local requirements and resources, deploying participatory and implementation methods that are contextually and culturally appropriate. Clinical Trial: NA