ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2024
First contact physiotherapy: an evaluation of clinical effectiveness and costs.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07788651 (Video-based First-contact Consultation With a Physiotherapist in Primary Care for Patients With Musculoskeletal Symptoms), which is not on this map. Cited by 16 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.
Video-based First-contact Consultation With a Physiotherapist in Primary Care for Patients With Musculoskeletal Symptoms
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Systematic review of direct access physiotherapy for musculoskeletal conditions in primary care: consequences for general practitioner workload, resource use, and organisation of care.BMC primary care · 2026Pooled it
- First Contact Physiotherapists (FCPs) Referral Practices to Rheumatology: A Scoping Review of the Evidence Base.Musculoskeletal care · 2026Article
- How direct access to physiotherapy reshapes GP gatekeeping for musculoskeletal care in primary care: an exploratory organisational typology across health systems.Family medicine and community health · 2026Article
- Development and proof-of-concept of a complex intervention to support appropriate imaging for musculoskeletal pain: the Betti programme.Implementation science communications · 2026Article
- Determining the Impact of a Physiotherapist-Led Primary Care Model for Low Back Pain: Protocol and Analysis Plan for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial and Embedded Process Evaluation.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Understanding the retention and support needs of UK first contact practitioner physiotherapists in primary care; a realist review.BMC primary care · 2026Review
- Who is providing pain care? Mapping chronic pain services across Scotland using freedom of information requests.British journal of pain · 2026Article
- The Role of Physiotherapists in Multi-professional Primary Care: Lessons for Japan.Physical therapy research · 2026Review
- Targeted anti-CCP testing to identify people at risk of rheumatoid arthritis in primary care: an early economic evaluation.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2026Article
- Local variation in musculoskeletal pain consultation rates in primary care: findings from an ecologic study in Staffordshire.Primary health care research & development · 2025Article
- Physiotherapy Capabilities in the Health Care of Adult Patients at Increased Risk of Osteoporotic Fractures: A Scoping Review Protocol.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Primary Care Reattendance Following an FCPP Appointment: A National Retrospective Service Evaluation.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Musculoskeletal First Contact Practitioners Undertaking a Higher Education Training Route-A Qualitative Exploration of Clinical Supervision Experiences.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Experiences of the Management of Uncertainty Amongst Musculoskeletal First Contact Practitioners Working in Primary Care.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Effect of Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme roles on prescription patterns and patient satisfaction in England: a retrospective panel data analysis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Understanding Experiences of First Contact Physiotherapy in General Practice: A Realist Qualitative Study.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFirst contact physiotherapy practitioners (FCPPs) are embedded within general practice, providing expert assessment, diagnosis, and management plans for patients with musculoskeletal disorders (MSKDs), without the prior need for GP consultation.
aimTo determine the clinical effectiveness and costs of FCPP models compared with GP-led models of care. DESIGN AND
settingMultiple site case-study design of general practices in the UK.
methodGeneral practice sites were recruited representing the following three models: 1) GP-led care; 2) FCPPs who could not prescribe or inject (FCPPs-standard [St]); and 3) FCPPs who could prescribe and/or inject (FCPPs-additional qualifications [AQ]). Patient participants from each site completed outcome data at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The primary outcome was the SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) score. Healthcare usage was collected for 6 months.
resultsIn total, 426 adults were recruited from 46 practices across the UK. Non-inferiority analysis showed no significant difference in physical function (SF-36 PCS) across all three arms at 6 months (
conclusionFCPP-led models of care provide safe, clinically effective patient management, with cost-benefits and reduced opioid use in this cohort.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.