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 .
A randomised study of two training programmes for general practitioners in the techniques of shoulder injection
Objectives : To evaluate the impact of two different modes of shoulder injection training on the level of confidence and number of injections performed by  general practitioners ( GPs ) Methods : Demographic details , and information on referrals for shoulder problems , shoulder joint injection activity , and confidence in the six months before training were obtained for 40 GP principals at baseline . St and ardised training in the techniques of shoulder joint injection using rubber mannequins was given to all GPs . Twenty of these GPs were r and omly allocated to receive additional training on patients in hospital joint injection clinics . Six months after both forms of training the shoulder injection and referral activities of all GPs were reassessed . Results : Both training groups had comparable demographic characteristics and baseline clinical activity . GPs who had additional training with patients reported a marked increase in their level of confidence in performing shoulder injections and the number performed . The number of shoulder referrals did not differ between the groups Conclusion : Training on patients in addition to conventional training on mannequins increased GPs ’ shoulder injection activity and their level of confidence . Hospital injection clinics may provide a suitable setting in which to train GPs interested in developing their shoulder joint injection skills
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 .