Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39819907›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Effectiveness of a physiotherapist-led triage and treatment service on WAITing time for adults with musculoskeletal pain referred to Australian public hospital physiotherapy clinics: a protocol for the WAIT-less trial.

Joshua M Hutton, Andrew R Gamble, Chris G Maher, Tarcisio F de Campos, Christopher S Han, Danielle Coombs, Mark Halliday, Lisa A Harvey, Nadine E Foster, Gustavo Machado and 12 more

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Joshua M HuttonInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia joshua.hutton@health.nsw.gov.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-3276-180X
Andrew R GambleInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5578-4779
Chris G MaherInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Tarcisio F de CamposInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7640-1650
Christopher S HanInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0274-6506
Danielle CoombsInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0005-7851
Mark HallidayConcord Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Lisa A HarveyJohn Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Northern Sydney Local Health District, The University of Sydney, Kolling Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Nadine E FosterSTARS Education and Research Alliance, Surgical Treatment and Rehabilitation Service, The University of Queensland and Metro North Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Gustavo MachadoInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8544-0448
David AndersonFaculty of Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Laurent BillotThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4975-9793
Bethan RichardsInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9249-8808
Michael SwainFaculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Marnee McKaySydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Chris NeedsInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jackie ChuJohn Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Northern Sydney Local Health District, The University of Sydney, Kolling Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5810-2788
Timothy ShawFaculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Tom LungSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Ian A HarrisInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Joshua R ZadroInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8981-2125
WAIT-less TRIAL INVESTIGATORS

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMusculoskeletal pain is the second leading cause of disease burden in Australia, and there is a need to investigate new models of care to cope with the increasing demand for health services. This paper describes the protocol for a randomised controlled trial investigating whether a physiotherapist-led triage and treatment service is non-inferior for improving function at 6 months and superior for reducing treatment waiting times, compared with usual care for patients with musculoskeletal pain referred to public hospital outpatient physiotherapy clinics. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A total of 368 participants (184 per arm) will be recruited from six public hospitals located in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. We will recruit adult patients newly referred to a public hospital physiotherapy outpatient clinic with a musculoskeletal condition that is typically managed by a physiotherapist (eg, back or neck pain, osteoarthritis, rehabilitation postorthopaedic surgery and sporting injuries). Participants will be randomised 1:1 to the physiotherapist-led triage and treatment service or usual care. A physiotherapist will telephone participants in the intervention group and match them to different modes and types of care based on baseline characteristics. Participants at low risk of poor outcomes (assessed by the Keele STarT MSK tool) will be given simple advice and education during this call and instructed to call back if their symptoms do not improve in 6 weeks. Participants at medium risk of poor outcomes or requiring postoperative rehabilitation will be offered a course of telehealth (videoconference) physiotherapy targeting exercise-based self-management. Participants at high risk of poor outcomes and/or with potential nonprogressive radiculopathy will be offered a course of usual clinic-based physiotherapy as per all participants in the usual care group. Physical function (Patient Specific Functional Scale) at 6 months postrandomisation and waiting time (time from randomisation to first treatment) are coprimary outcomes. Secondary outcomes include other patient outcomes (eg, pain), health resource use, adverse events, process measures (eg, adherence) and costs. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial has approval from the Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (RPAH Zone; X24-0090 and 2024/ETH00585). Recruitment will commence in September 2024 and is expected to be completed by December 2025 with follow-ups completed by December 2026. The results of the trial will be submitted for publication in reputable international journals and presented at relevant national and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ANZCTR (ACTRN12624000947505).

Indexed as

Musculoskeletal PainPhysical TherapistsPhysical Therapy ModalitiesTriageWaiting ListsAdultAustraliaFemaleHospitals, PublicHumansMaleRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicReferral and ConsultationMusculoskeletal disordersPatient Care ManagementPhysical Therapy ModalitiesREHABILITATION MEDICINEWaiting lists

Identifiers

PMID39819907
PMCPMC11752015

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.