Integrated Healthy Lifestyle and Pain Care for People With Musculoskeletal Conditions Living in Rural Areas.

One in three Australians experience a musculoskeletal condition, with rural residents experiencing 10% to 30% greater burden. People with musculoskeletal conditions also experience higher rates of chronic health problems and higher prevalence of lifestyle risks (overweight, smoking, physically inactive and poor diet). As many as 75% of people with musculoskeletal conditions have three or more lifestyle risk factors, and those living in rural and remote areas have up to 10% increased prevalence of such risks compared to those living in metropolitan or regional areas. Poorer access to health services for musculoskeletal conditions means patients have higher attendance to emergency departments and increased hospitalisations, which also puts additional strain on tertiary healthcare systems. These factors contribute to a greater burden of musculoskeletal disease in rural populations that is 1.4 times higher than metropolitan populations.

Given the links between musculoskeletal conditions and lifestyle risks, and evidence from meta-analyses, many clinical practice guidelines recommend care for musculoskeletal conditions integrates a focus on lifestyle risks (e.g. weight or smoking). Moreover, surveys of patients with co-existing musculoskeletal conditions and lifestyle risks indicate that most have a preference for integrated care that addresses lifestyle risks. Despite this, less than 25% of such patients receive any support to improve lifestyle. The failure of health services to integrate care for pain and lifestyle risks is a missed opportunity to provide treatment that offers optimal therapeutic benefit for musculoskeletal conditions, supports prevention of chronic diseases, and provides patient-centred care.

A recent trial showed that integrating a healthy lifestyle focus into care for chronic back pain achieved larger improvements in disability, mental health and quality of life, compared to guideline recommended physiotherapy care only (without a lifestyle focus). Participants provided with at least 50% of the lifestyle intervention had large clinically meaningful benefit, suggesting better access to treatment may have large population benefit. Process evaluation of the trial revealed that patients wanted more flexible delivery options to access the intervention, including digital and virtual care options. In response to patient input, about better access to treatment, the HeLP-R trial was designed to compare following two delivery modalities of the program.

• An in-person physiotherapist-led model and referral to a telephone-based health coaching. This intervention aligns with how physiotherapist care is normally delivered in outpatient settings.
• A multidisciplinary model delivered remotely by virtual care, including physiotherapy, dietitian, psychology with additional smoking cessation or alcohol counselling, based on patient health needs. This intervention aligns with feedback from patients and clinicians to provide comprehensive yet flexible care.

MODEL OF CARE:

The model of care being tested across the two delivery modalities includes two core principles to support the integration of healthy lifestyle support into pain care: 1) Learning about pain and its causes; and 2) supporting effective behaviour change for healthy lifestyle.

• 'Learning about pain' is supported in clinical consultations and with education resources. Learning about pain is for clinicians and participants. Clinicians aim to learn about the participant's journey, their pain history and understanding and beliefs about pain. For participants, learning about pain aims to create conceptual change about the causes of pain, provide reassurance about the safety of movement, introduce lifestyle as a potential influence of musculoskeletal pain, and develop motivation to undertake self-management plan focussed on appropriate lifestyle targets. Clinical consultations use principles of motivational interviewing and psychoeducation and are guided by program specific communication aids. Educational resources (electronic and hard copy) are provided to participants in interactive and reflective formats to reinforce learning concepts.
• 'Supporting effective behaviour change' involves co-development of a tailored pain and lifestyle management plan. Clinicians assess the participants stage of change for nominated lifestyle risks (weight, diet, physical activity, smoking, sleep, alcohol) and use behaviour change techniques such as goal setting, action planning, problem solving and monitoring throughout clinical consultations. As appropriate, participants are offered referral to relevant lifestyle risk reduction services which provide telephone-based healthy lifestyle coaching or smoking cessation counselling over 6 calls (each).

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years and over, with one or more of the following chronic musculoskeletal conditions (pain or disability due to knee or hip, or non-specific low back pain) present for more than three months;
• Average pain intensity over the last week of 3 or more on a 11-point numerical rating scale OR pain interference of at least 'somewhat' (3 out 5) on item 27 of the PROMIS 29;
• At least one of the following lifestyle risk factors: Body Mass Index of greater than 25kg/m2, less than 30mins of physical activity on five or more days of the week, current smoker or vaper, consumes less than two serves of fruits or five serves of vegetables per day, drinks more than 10 standard drinks in a week, or more than 4 standard drinks on any one day, or 'poor' or 'very poor' sleep quality for item 6 of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index.

Exclusion criteria

• Receiving healthcare for ALL eligible lifestyle risks;
• Had bariatric surgery in the last 12 months or have planned bariatric surgery in the next 6 months;
• Have planned orthopaedic surgery in the next 6 months;
• Cannot actively or safely engage in the intervention or study procedures due to a medical comorbidity or constraint (e.g. impaired cognition, unable to use telehealth services, attend appointments, or adapt meals or activity);
• Pain due to suspected serious cause, (e.g spinal infection, cancers, fracture, systemic rheumatic disease, cauda equina syndrome, diagnosis of radiculopathy);
• Pregnant or planning pregnancy in the next 6 months.