Background
MSK pain, disability, shoulder complaints, pain
Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain conditions are substantial contributors to global disability [To guide physiotherapists in achieving patient-centered care, stratified care is one possible approach [A first approach to stratified care in patients with neck and shoulder complaints is to match content and intensity of physiotherapy treatment to the patient’s risk of persistent disabling pain, using the Keele STarT MSK Tool [A second approach to individualize care is to match the mode of physiotherapy treatment delivery to the patient’s suitability for blended treatment. With the introduction of new technologies within physiotherapy, generally two modes of delivery of physiotherapy treatment can be distinguished: a traditional treatment consisting of face to face physiotherapy guidance, and a blended treatment in which physiotherapy sessions are integrated with technology such as a smartphone application to help patients manage their MSK pain independently, in the home environment [Despite tools being available to identify patients’ (i) risk of persistent disabling pain (Keele STarT MSK Tool) and (ii) suitability for blended physiotherapy care, no study has yet combined these approaches to individualize primary care nor developed suitable matched treatments for each patient subgroup. Therefore, this study aimed to: (1) develop physiotherapy-specific matched treatment options as part of a new Stratified Blended Physiotherapy approach for patients with neck and/or shoulder complaints that matches the values of end-users; and (2) investigate feasibility of the Stratified Blended Physiotherapy approach for patients with neck and/or shoulder complaints prior to determining its effectiveness in a future cluster randomized trial [