The 12 remaining studies across all musculoskeletal conditions showed little or no improvement in GP behaviour and patient outcomes .The direction of the targeted behaviour ( i.e. increasing or decreasing a behaviour ) does not seem to affect the effectiveness of an intervention .
There is good- quality evidence that a GP alerting system with or without patient-directed education on osteoporosis improves guideline -consistent GP behaviour , result ing in better diagnosis and treatment rates .
Interventions such as GP reminder messages and GP feedback on performance combined with guideline dissemination may lead to small improvements in guideline -consistent GP behaviour with regard to low back pain , while GP education on osteoarthritis pain and the use of educationally influential physicians may lead to slight improvement in patient outcomes and guideline -consistent behaviour respectively .
BACKGROUND Musculoskeletal conditions require particular management skills .
Identification of interventions which are effective in equipping general practitioners ( GPs ) with such necessary skills could translate to improved health outcomes for patients and reduced healthcare and societal costs .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of professional interventions for GPs  that aim to improve the management of musculoskeletal conditions in primary care .
We investigated whether the direction of the targeted behavioural change affects the effectiveness of interventions .
Adherence to osteoporosis medications after patient and physician brief education: post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE To examine whether adherence to osteoporosis medications can be improved by educational interventions targeted at primary care physicians ( PCPs ) and patients . STUDY DESIGN Post hoc analysis of data collected as part of a prospect i ve r and omized controlled trial to improve initiation of osteoporosis management such as bone mineral density testing or osteoporosis drug initiation . METHODS The trial was conducted among patients at risk for osteoporosis enrolled in Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey . For a 3-month period , r and omly selected PCPs and their patients received education about osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment . The PCPs received face-to-face education by trained pharmacists , while patients received letters and automated telephone calls . The control group received no education . We assessed medication adherence during 10 months following the start of the intervention using the medication possession ratio ( MPR ) , the ratio of available medication to the total number of days studied . RESULTS These analyses included 1867 patients ( 972 r and omized to the intervention group and 875 to the control group ) and their 436 PCPs . During 10 months following the intervention , the median MPRs were 74 % ( interquartile range [ IQR ] , 19%-93 % ) for the intervention group and 73 % ( IQR , 0%-93 % ) for the control group ( P = .18 ) . The median times until medication discontinuation after the intervention were 85 days ( IQR , 58 - 174 days ) for the intervention group and 79 days ( IQR , 31 - 158 days ) for the control group . CONCLUSION The educational intervention did not significantly improve medication compliance or persistence with osteoporosis drugs
The 12 remaining studies across all musculoskeletal conditions showed little or no improvement in GP behaviour and patient outcomes .The direction of the targeted behaviour ( i.e. increasing or decreasing a behaviour ) does not seem to affect the effectiveness of an intervention .
There is good- quality evidence that a GP alerting system with or without patient-directed education on osteoporosis improves guideline -consistent GP behaviour , result ing in better diagnosis and treatment rates .
Interventions such as GP reminder messages and GP feedback on performance combined with guideline dissemination may lead to small improvements in guideline -consistent GP behaviour with regard to low back pain , while GP education on osteoarthritis pain and the use of educationally influential physicians may lead to slight improvement in patient outcomes and guideline -consistent behaviour respectively .
BACKGROUND Musculoskeletal conditions require particular management skills .
Identification of interventions which are effective in equipping general practitioners ( GPs ) with such necessary skills could translate to improved health outcomes for patients and reduced healthcare and societal costs .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of professional interventions for GPs  that aim to improve the management of musculoskeletal conditions in primary care .
We investigated whether the direction of the targeted behavioural change affects the effectiveness of interventions .