Development and implementation of the physiotherapy-led exercise interventions for the treatment of rotator cuff disorders for the ‘Getting it Right: Addressing Shoulder Pain’ (GRASP) trial

Abstract

The Getting it Right: Addressing Shoulder Pain (GRASP) trial is a large-scale, multicentre, randomised controlled trial investigating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a progressive exercise intervention versus a best-practice advice intervention, with or without corticosteroid injection, for treating people with a rotator cuff disorder.

Interventions were developed using the Medical Research Council guidance on complex interventions, and included a stakeholder meeting of 26 clinicians, researchers, and patient representatives.

The best-practice advice (1 session) and progressive exercise (=6 sessions over 16 weeks) interventions both involve face-to-face, one-to-one physiotherapist appointments and include self-management advice, home-exercise instruction, and behaviour-change strategies to target exercise adherence.

The results of the GRASP trial are anticipated in 2020. This large scale evaluation on 704 participants will provide high quality evidence to best inform clinical practice for the management of people with shoulder pain due to a rotator cuff disorder.

A critical stage of evaluating the complex interventions in the GRASP trial is ensuring details of the development and content of the interventions are available to clinicians and researchers to facilitate their implementation.