Defining and Disseminating Best Practice for Common Musculoskeletal Conditions

Musculoskeletal conditions of joints, muscles, and tendons are common and can be hard to treat successfully. There have been many recent improvements in treatment but there is a big delay between research that yields new knowledge and changes in clinical care. We will combine systematic reviews of the evidence with interviews with world experts and patients in mixed-methods research to develop best practice guides. We will do this for 6 common conditions and involve stakeholders in our work throughout the three-year work programme. We have established robust methods and have already produced best practice guides successfully before for two common conditions. We will extend these with educational resources for all 8 conditions, that will be freely available online, to ensure physiotherapists and patients can learn from our research. We have put together a comprehensive dissemination package, centred on an interactive website, with a range of methods to engage clinicians. This should mean rapid translation of data into practice, for the benefit of patients everywhere.