Background:
Musculoskeletal conditions are a leading cause of disability and healthcare expenditure worldwide. Despite recommendations for integrated, team-based models of care, primary care delivery remains fragmented. Team-based care, involving integrated management from multiple healthcare professionals, may improve care quality, reduce low-value care, and ease the burden on general practitioners. However, the effectiveness and implementation of such models for musculoskeletal conditions remains unclear. This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of team-based primary care for the management of musculoskeletal conditions. A secondary aim is to evaluate implementation outcomes reported in the included studies.
Methods:
We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, PEDro, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials library from inception to 31 March 2025. We will include randomised trials and interrupted time series studies involving adults with musculoskeletal conditions managed in primary care settings. Eligible interventions must involve team-based care with at least one general practitioner and another healthcare professional. Comparators may include usual care, no intervention, or alternative models of delivery. Outcomes of interest include those aligned with the quintuple aim framework (patient outcomes, satisfaction, cost, provider well-being, health equity) and implementation outcomes. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools. Where appropriate, meta-analyses will be conducted, and the GRADE approach will be used to assess certainty of evidence.
Results (to date): A total of 4068 articles were retrieved after duplicates removed. Abstract and full-text screening is currently underway.
Conclusion:
This review will synthesise current evidence about the effectiveness and implementation of team-based care models for musculoskeletal conditions in primary care. Findings will inform future healthcare models and policy to support high-value, coordinated musculoskeletal care.