Trial reportInternational journal of environmental research and public health2020
Patterning in Patient Referral to and Uptake of a National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) in Wales From 2008 to 2017: A Data Linkage Study.
Trial report in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Evaluation of the uptake, retention and effectiveness of exercise referral schemes for the management of mental health conditions in primary care: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- A process evaluation, with mediation analysis, of a web-based intervention to augment primary care exercise referral schemes: the e-coachER randomised controlled trial.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Trial
- From a research trial to routine practice: stakeholders' perceptions and experiences of referrals to the National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) in Wales.BMC health services research · 2021Trial
- Comparing practice characteristics and quality outcomes between parkrun and non-parkrun GP practices in England, with a focus on socioeconomic equity: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Observational
- Active practice charter accreditation is associated with higher quality outcomes in English general practice: a cross-sectional observational study.BMC primary care · 2026Observational
- Understanding the factors influencing participant engagement and adherence in exercise referral in the City of Manchester.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2026Article
- Adaptations to the welsh national exercise referral scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of service users and providers and supplementary out-of-pocket cost analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- An evaluation of a community-based intervention in England aiming to reduce inequalities in exercise participation.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Moving an exercise referral scheme to remote delivery during the Covid-19 pandemic: an observational study examining the impact on uptake, adherence, and costs.BMC public health · 2024Observational
- Exercise-based Multimodal Programming: A Treatment Gap for Older Adults with Advanced Cancer.The oncologist · 2022Article
- Depression and Exercise in Older Adults: Exercise Looks after You Program, User Profile.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Exercise Referral Instructors' Perspectives on Supporting and Motivating Participants to Uptake, Attend and Adhere to Exercise Prescription: A Qualitative Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Adapting interventions to new contexts-the ADAPT guidance.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2021Article
- The National ReferAll Database: An Open Dataset of Exercise Referral Schemes Across the UK.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Feasibility Assessment of the Let's Walk Programme (CAMINEM): Exercise Training and Health Promotion in Primary Health-Care Settings.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Inequalities and Inclusion in Exercise Referral Schemes: A Mixed-Method Multi-Scheme Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Understanding Leisure Centre-Based Physical Activity after Physical Activity Referral: Evidence from Scheme Participants and Completers in Northumberland UK.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Gender Differences in Uptake, Adherence and Experiences: A Longitudinal, Mixed-Methods Study of a Physical Activity Referral Scheme in Scotland, UK.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Exercise referral schemes have shown small but positive impacts in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Less is known about the long-term reach of scaled up schemes following a RCT. A RCT of the National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) in Wales was completed in 2010, and the scheme scaled up across Wales. In this study, using a retrospective data linkage design, anonymized NERS data were linked to routine health records for referrals between 2008 and 2017. Rates of referral and uptake were modelled across years and a multilevel logistic regression model examined predictors of uptake. In total, 83,598 patients have been referred to the scheme and 67.31% of eligible patients took up NERS. Older adults and referrals for a musculoskeletal or level four condition were more likely to take up NERS. Males, mental health referrals, non-GP referrals and those in the most deprived groupings were less likely to take up NERS. Trends revealed an overall decrease over time in referrals and uptake rates among the most deprived grouping relative to those in the least deprived group. Findings indicate a widening of inequality in referral and uptake following positive RCT findings, both in terms of patient socioeconomic status and referrals for mental health.
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