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Table 3 Outline of pilot clinician support package

From: Integrating clinician support with intervention design as part of a programme testing stratified care for musculoskeletal pain in general practice

Clinician support in pilot study

Overall scope and plan

 Total training time available to GPs is 4 h, provisionally to be in two 2 h sessions. Optionally, this can be supplemented by one “catch up” session with individual GPs at their request or in response to problems identified by the study team

 Two TAPS facilitators to attend each session, aiming at continuity of at least one for both sessions

Training approach

 Training is for individual practices and based on all GPs attending both sessions and working as a small group with the Keele GP facilitators. There are some knowledge and skills components to be covered and the entire sessions should be interactive and collaborative, exploring and building on the GPs’ current practice. Particularly during the pilot phase, there will be lessons for the study team to learn and, possibly, some changes to be made to the intervention, so the facilitators will gather information for the team as well as delivering and documenting the training

Key issues to address

 • Tool complements normal clinical practice and does not replace it

 • It is a prognostic tool to aid management, not a diagnostic tool

 • A key step in integrating the tool into the consultation – is the need to enter a provisional Read code during the consultation to trigger the template

Requirements for delivering the training

 • Protected time for all GPs to attend

 • Co-ordination with practice manager

 • Training room suitable for small group learning

 • Computer, linked to clinical system, with display visible to the group

 • TAPS templates installed and tested

Support Materials

 • Slide sets for sessions 1 and 2

 • Patient vignettes from TAPS

 • Laminated copy of STarT MSK tool and matched treatment options

 • Plan and record for training sessions to complete at each practice