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Background: First Contact Physiotherapy Practitioners (FCPPs) provide expert care for patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in General Practice. Access to FCPPs can facilitate timely care and efficient use of health services. However, there is little evidence about patient experiences of accessing FCPP appointments. Objective: To explore the experiences of patients with MSK conditions who have accessed an FCPP appointment in a General Practice setting in the UK. Design: Exploratory qualitative design. Methods: Patients with MSK conditions who had experience of accessing FCPP appointments were recruited via social media. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted and recorded via MS Teams. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Of 13 patients interviewed, there were 10 females and three males, with an age range between 20 and 80 years. The main themes identified were: (1) Awareness of FCPP, (2) Access routes, (3) Facilitators to access, (4) Barriers to access, (5) Likelihood of re‐accessing FCPP. Awareness of FCPP was generally low amongst participants. There were a variety of routes to access FCPP appointments; some were felt to be sub‐optimal by participants. Facilitators included quick/easy access to FCPP. Barriers included difficulty contacting General Practitioner (GP) surgeries and public perception of needing to see a GP initially. The likelihood of re‐consultation with a FCPP was low when participants had disappointing care experiences. Conclusion: This study provides new evidence about patient experiences of accessing FCPP. It explores positive and negative aspects of access from patients' perspectives. It also highlights areas for improvement in terms of GP staff/patient awareness and understanding of FCPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As children with long‐term conditions (LTCs) mature, they are usually expected to assume responsibility from their parents for self‐management of their condition. Little is known about what supports families with this handover of responsibility, including the role of healthcare professionals (HCPs). This study aimed to explore what supports young people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to assume self‐management responsibility and parents to relinquish control. Methods: A qualitative study, using a grounded theory approach was conducted. Individual and dyadic interviews and focus groups were carried out with 16 young people aged 13–17 years old with CKD, 13 parents, and 20 HCPs. Participants were recruited from two UK children's renal units. Findings: Building and maintaining trust, fostering positivity, learning from mistakes, forming partnerships and individualized support, facilitated the transfer of self‐management responsibility. However, HCPs' focus on developing partnerships with young people meant some parents felt excluded, highlighting uncertainty around whether support should be child‐ or family‐centred. Although tailored support was identified as critical, aspects of local service provision appeared to impact on HCPs' capacity to implement individualized approaches. Conclusion: This study has identified what supports the handover of responsibility, and, importantly, HCPs' current, and potential role in helping young people to assume responsibility for managing their LTC. Further research is needed to explore how HCPs' involvement balances child‐ and family‐centred care, and how HCPs can adopt personalized, strengths‐based approaches to help ensure the support that families receive is tailored to their individual needs. Patient or Public Contribution: Patient and public involvement was integrated throughout the study, with young adults with CKD and parents who had a child with CKD actively involved in the study's design and delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is policy impetus for provision of self-care support (SCS) for children with long-term conditions (LTCs). However, it is not clear what SCS should consist of and how it can be delivered in routine care. This review aimed to synthesise the literature, specifically on SCS of diet and the gut as these components are essential for optimal growth and development and enhanced quality of life. Using an integrative review methodology, studies conducted between January 1990 and July 2020 were systematically identified and methodological quality assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Twenty-five studies were included. SCS of diet and the gut consisted of support in developing and applying specific knowledge and skills and practical help with incorporating the demands of self-care into everyday life. Key requisites for models of SCS in the context of delivery and uptake in routine care were starting early, keeping it going, being flexible and choosing appropriate outcomes. This review contributes new understanding on the provision of SCS of diet and the gut for school-age children with LTCs, including identification of gaps in the literature and further research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) affect a large and growing proportion of the population. Treatment options are typically conservative making self-management a priority. Using trained peers to support individuals with OA has potential to improve self-management. To explore the process of engaging and training volunteers to become peer mentors; and to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and value of being a peer mentor to support others' self-management of OA. A qualitative evaluation of a peer mentorship support intervention reporting the processes of recruitment and training; and semi-structured interviews conducted with nine active peer mentors. Transcribed interviews were coded and analysed using framework analysis. It was possible to recruit, train and retain volunteers with OA to become peer mentors. The peer mentors benefitted from their training and felt equipped to deliver the intervention. They enjoyed social elements of the mentorship intervention and gained satisfaction through delivering valued support to mentees. Peer mentors perceived the mentorship intervention to have a positive impact on self-management of OA for mentees. Training volunteers with OA to become peer mentors was feasible and acceptable. Peer mentors perceived their support benefitted others with OA. They positively rated their experience of providing mentorship support. This study demonstrates that it is possible to recruit, train and engage older volunteers to become peer mentors for people with osteoarthritis. Training should highlight the significance of employing key self-management techniques such as goal-setting. Peer mentors acknowledged that they benefitted from training and delivering the mentorship intervention, and this impacted positively on their own osteoarthritis self-management. Careful consideration of matching mentors and mentees appears to enhance the success of mentorship support. Recognising the impact of mentorship support on mentees' self-management is central to peer mentors' sustained engagement with the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Research on levels of physical activity (PA) in those with peripheral joint pain have only focused on single sites, in the knee or hips. This study investigated the levels of PA in adults with single‐site and multisite peripheral joint pain compared to adults with no joint pain. Methods: Analysis of a cross‐sectional population survey mailed to adults aged ≥45 years (n = 28,443) was conducted. Respondents reported any peripheral joint pain in the last 12 months in either the hands, hips, knees or feet; PA levels were self‐reported using the short telephone activity rating scale. The association between PA levels, peripheral joint pain and outcomes of health status (physical and mental component scores, using SF‐12) pain intensity (10‐point scale) and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) (EQ‐5D) were investigated using analysis of variance and ordinal regressions. Results: Compared to those with no joint pain, all pain groups reported lower levels of PA: joint pain in one site (odds ratio = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.83–0.99); two sites (0.74, 0.67–0.81), three sites (0.65, 0.59–0.72) and four sites (0.47, 0.42–0.53). Across all joint pain groups, levels of PA were associated with pain intensity, physical health status, mental health status and HRQoL. Discussion: Adults with more sites of peripheral joint pain were more likely to report lower levels of PA. Those with more sites of pain and lower levels of PA reported poorer outcomes. Health care providers should be aware that those with multisite joint pain are most likely to have low levels of PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]