Co-design and knowledge mobilisation in musculoskeletal physiotherapy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the role of creative co-design as a knowledge mobilisation strategy for musculoskeletal physiotherapy.
IRAS ID
290081
Contact name
Cheryl Grindell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 30 days
Research summary
Knowledge mobilisation (the use of evidence, such as, research findings or guidelines) is important to ensure people are getting the best healthcare. There is currently a problem in health services because clinicians do not always use the latest research evidence when treating patients.
Physiotherapists are no exception. There are large amounts of evidence and guidelines on the best way to treat people living with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions but these are not always used. This can be because physiotherapists may lack time, knowledge and skills to read, understand and apply research findings.
This project aims to understand whether co-design, where physiotherapists and patients work together to design new solutions to problems, can be used to improve physiotherapists’ use of evidence to treat MSK problems. We want to see if creating new interventions together will help change physiotherapists’ behaviour and improve patient care.
Time will be spent observing appointments in three MSK physiotherapy outpatient departments in Sheffield.
Physiotherapists and people with MSK conditions will be interviewed to see:
1. How research evidence is used in treatment.
2. What patients and physiotherapists think helps and hinders this.
3. How research evidence helps or doesn’t help people manage their problem.Approximately 4 workshops will then be carried out. The workshops will use creative activities to help physiotherapists and people with MSK conditions work together to understand the problem of using evidence. They will then develop some solutions to help overcome these. Activities will be carried out to prioritise which ideas from the workshops will be turned into prototypes. The prototypes will then be tested in the physiotherapy departments to see if they work.
Finally physiotherapists and people with MSK problems will be interviewed to see whether they think the workshops helped them develop useful solutions to improve evidence use and better patient care.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/WM/0029
Date of REC Opinion
11 Mar 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion