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Group physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Webb, S; Drake, C; Coffman, CJ; Sullivan, C; Sperber, N; Tucker, M; Zullig, LL; Hughes, JM; Kaufman, BG; Pura, JA; Anderson, L; Hastings, SN ...
Published in: Implement Sci Commun
October 12, 2023

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability and one of the most common conditions treated in outpatient physical therapy (PT). Because of the high and growing prevalence of knee OA, there is a need for efficient approaches for delivering exercise-based PT to patients with knee OA. A prior randomized controlled trial (RCT) showed that a 6-session Group Physical Therapy Program for Knee OA (Group PT) yields equivalent or greater improvements in pain and functional outcomes compared with traditional individual PT, while requiring fewer clinician hours per patient to deliver. This manuscript describes the protocol for a hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial comparing two implementation packages to support delivery of Group PT. METHODS: In this 12-month embedded trial, a minimum of 16 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) will be randomized to receive one of two implementation support packages for their Group PT programs: a standard, low-touch support based on Replicating Effective Programs (REP) versus enhanced REP (enREP), which adds tailored, high-touch support if sites do not meet Group PT adoption and sustainment benchmarks at 6 and 9 months following launch. Implementation outcomes, including penetration (primary), adoption, and fidelity, will be assessed at 6 and 12 months (primary assessment time point). Additional analyses will include patient-level effectiveness outcomes (pain, function, satisfaction) and staffing and labor costs. A robust qualitative evaluation of site implementation context and experience, as well as site-led adaptations to the Group PT program, will be conducted. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first to evaluate the impact of tailored, high-touch implementation support on implementation outcomes when compared to standardized, low-touch support for delivering a PT-based intervention. The Group PT program has strong potential to become a standard offering for PT, improving function and pain-related outcomes for patients with knee OA. Results will provide information regarding the effectiveness and value of this implementation approach and a deeper understanding of how healthcare systems can support wide-scale adoption of Group PT. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered on March 7, 2022 at ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier NCT05282927 ).

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Published In

Implement Sci Commun

DOI

EISSN

2662-2211

Publication Date

October 12, 2023

Volume

4

Issue

1

Start / End Page

125

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • 4206 Public health
  • 4203 Health services and systems
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Webb, S., Drake, C., Coffman, C. J., Sullivan, C., Sperber, N., Tucker, M., … Allen, K. D. (2023). Group physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial. Implement Sci Commun, 4(1), 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-023-00502-7
Webb, Sara, Connor Drake, Cynthia J. Coffman, Caitlin Sullivan, Nina Sperber, Matthew Tucker, Leah L. Zullig, et al. “Group physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial.Implement Sci Commun 4, no. 1 (October 12, 2023): 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-023-00502-7.
Webb S, Drake C, Coffman CJ, Sullivan C, Sperber N, Tucker M, et al. Group physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial. Implement Sci Commun. 2023 Oct 12;4(1):125.
Webb, Sara, et al. “Group physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial.Implement Sci Commun, vol. 4, no. 1, Oct. 2023, p. 125. Pubmed, doi:10.1186/s43058-023-00502-7.
Webb S, Drake C, Coffman CJ, Sullivan C, Sperber N, Tucker M, Zullig LL, Hughes JM, Kaufman BG, Pura JA, Anderson L, Hastings SN, Van Houtven CH, Abbate LM, Hoenig H, Ballengee LA, Wang V, Allen KD. Group physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis: protocol for a hybrid type III effectiveness-implementation trial. Implement Sci Commun. 2023 Oct 12;4(1):125.

Published In

Implement Sci Commun

DOI

EISSN

2662-2211

Publication Date

October 12, 2023

Volume

4

Issue

1

Start / End Page

125

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • 4206 Public health
  • 4203 Health services and systems