Introduction Musculoskeletal conditions have high, and increasing, incidence and prevalence. Although there are many clinical guidelines available for common conditions, most are poor quality and sparsely adopted into practice. We aim to improve patient outcomes by developing robust Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) to get research findings into practice for a range of common musculoskeletal conditions.

Methods and analysis Mixed methods with systematic review of high-quality studies and qualitative elicitation of both patient’s perspectives and expert clinical reasoning through in-depth interviews will form the basis for the BPGs. A segregated convergent synthesis, informed throughout by stakeholder engagement, will guide the format and structure of the BPGs.

Ethics, outputs and dissemination Ethical approval for the qualitative studies and implementation events will be obtained from university and health service research ethics committees. Educational packages for each BPG condition will be hosted online and be available for students, clinicians, and education providers. Dissemination will follow traditional routes including publications and presentations; alongside innovative approaches such as collaboration with higher education institutions, online hosting, adoption by professional bodies, and a social media campaign. Implementation will occur adaptively in multiple national contexts to reflect local requirements and resources, deploying participatory and implementation methods that are contextually and culturally appropriate.

KEY MESSAGES

What is already known on this topic – Clinical guidelines for the management of musculoskeletal conditions are common, but have limitations regarding quality, applicability, editorial independence, and patient perspective. They are rarely adopted into clinical practice.

What this study adds – We have developed a robust (supported by Patient and Participant Involvement) mixed-methods approach that integrates the three components of evidence-based medicine: synthesis of high-quality evidence, patients’ perspectives/values, and expert clinical reasoning. We have also developed an education, dissemination, and implementation approach to facilitate international adoption of these guidelines.

How this study might affect research, practice or policy – The guideline development methods will integrate the three pillars of evidence-based practice and ensure they are robust and clinically applicable. Creation of educational material combined with an implementation and dissemination plan will support adoption into clinical practice of different countries and cultures, designed to lead to improved patient outcomes.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding was provided by different organizations through multiple pathways. The funders did not play a role in developing the protocol. This work has primarily been supported by the Private Physiotherapy Educational Foundation Silver Jubilee Award (QMUL reference 13569244). This work was supported by multiple small grants from Queen Mary Centre for Public Engagement. Dissemination work has been supported by Queen Mary Impact Fund. This work acknowledges the support of the National Institute for Health Research Barts Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR203330) for researchers employed at QMUL and Barts Health NHS trust. This work acknowledges the support of Podium Analytics and the Podium Institute, a charity with the mission of More Sport Less Injury. https://podiumanalytics.org

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

Ethical approval for the qualitative studies will be gained from Queen Mary University of London Research Ethics Committee for each condition separately. Ethics will also be obtained from the NHS to facilitate recruitment of patients with the selected conditions.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Yes

All data produced in the present study will be available upon reasonable request to the authors