PRISM A Feasibility Trial of a Social Norms Data Dashboard to Support First Contact Physiotherapists in Managing Musculoskeletal Conditions in Primary Care

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating musculoskeletal MSK disorders, which affect over 20 million people in the UK and account for a significant portion of general practice visits. The study aims to explore the feasibility of a clinical trial comparing decision-making by First Contact Practitioners FCPs who use a new feedback tool called the PRISM Dashboard with those who continue usual care. This dashboard provides individual clinicians with data on their clinical behaviors compared to their peers, potentially helping to reduce variations in care and improve practice through social norms feedback. The study involves FCPs and their supervisors in a cluster randomized trial across multiple UK primary care sites. The intervention group will receive monthly access to the password-protected PRISM Dashboard via email, which displays visual feedback on clinical decisions such as imaging requests and referrals. They will also receive a guidance document and review the dashboard regularly during clinical supervision sessions. The control group will continue with usual care without feedback during the trial. Data collection includes monthly uploads of clinical activity data from participating sites. Participants will be involved over a period with baseline, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups. Patients who see an FCP will be invited to participate and complete outcome and experience measures digitally or by phone. The study will assess recruitment, retention, outcome collection, and engagement with the dashboard. Clinical supervision logs and patient-reported measures will be used to evaluate feasibility. The trial is designed to inform a future larger study on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the PRISM Dashboard.

PRISM: The PRimary Care Individual Social Norms MSK Data Dashboard: a Feasibility Trial