Chronic Musculoskeletal PainNCT07177547
Screening and Referral Practices for Anxiety and Depression Among Patients With Chronic Neck, Shoulder and Low Back Pain Within Physiotherapy Practices
An observational study of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Anxiety, run by Ana Catarina Navarro Ramalho at 1 site in Belgium.
Trial summary
The goal of this cross-sectional, qualitative study is to investigate whether physiotherapists screen for symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and to explore the facilitators and barriers related to these practices. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, Anxiety, Depression
- What is being tested?
- Mental health screening and referral practices in physiotherapy
- How many people
- 18 participants
- Where
- 1 siteBelgium
- Study dates
- 5 May 2025to 30 Sep 2025
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Physiotherapists working in private practice settings in Belgium, with variation in gender, years of clinical experience, and prior mental health training. Recruitment was conducted through two channels: * Open-access contact list on the website of Axxon, the official Belgian physiotherapy professional association; * Direct outreach to physiotherapists who had previously completed mental health-related training and consented to future research contact.
Who may be able to join
- Physiotherapists treating patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
- Purposive sampling was used to obtain:
- Varied clinical experience: Less than 5 years of practice and more than 5 years of practice.
- Varied exposure to mental health training: With and without specialized training in mental health.
Who cannot join
- None
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Screening and Referral Practices for Anxiety and Depression Among Patients With Chronic Neck, Shoulder and Low Back Pain Within Private Physiotherapy Practices: a Qualitative Study.
The goal of this cross-sectional, qualitative study is to investigate whether physiotherapists screen for symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and to explore the facilitators and barriers related to these practices. The main questions aim to answer are:
- What are the current practices of physiotherapists in private practice for screening anxiety and depression among patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain?
- What are the facilitators and barriers influencing physiotherapists' screening and referral practices for mental health care?
Read more
Participants will:
- Take part in a semi-structured interview (online or in person).
- Be asked about their experiences, attitudes, and practices related to recognizing, screening, managing, and referring patients with anxiety and depression.
- Participants will share perspectives on barriers and facilitators to integrating mental health screening into physiotherapy.
- Conditions
- Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, Anxiety, Depression
- Being tested
- Mental health screening and referral practices in physiotherapy
- Keywords
- Physiotherapy, Chronic musculoskeletal pain, Anxiety, Depression, Screening, Referral, Qualitative study
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders, Depression
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Mental health screening and referral practices in physiotherapyOther
Also called Screening for anxiety and depression in private physiotherapy practice, Screening for anxiety and depression in private physiotherapy practice Physiotherapist-led mental health recognition and referral
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 physiotherapists working in private settings to explore recognition, screening, and referral practices for anxiety and depression in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Physiotherapists' perspectives on screening and referral practices for anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Themes identified through qualitative framework analysis of semi-structured interviews with 18 physiotherapists. The analysis focuses on recognition, screening, management, and referral practices for anxiety and depression in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, including barriers, facilitators, and professional experiences.
Measured: From study start until completion of interviews and data analysis (approximately 6 months)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Sep 2025
- Study start5 May 2025
- Primary completion18 Sep 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Sep 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Chronic Musculoskeletal PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 18 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ana Catarina Navarro Ramalho
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Ana Catarina Navarro Ramalho, KU Leuven
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07177547
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- S69684
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 10 Sep 2025
- Last updated
- 17 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Ramalho ACN, Damme TV, Lambrechts M, Vieira AICF, McGrath RL, Vancampfort D. Screening and Referral Practices for Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Private Physiotherapy Practices for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Qualitative Study. Musculoskeletal Care. 2026 Mar;24(1):e70213. doi: 10.1002/msc.70213.
PubMed 41881815
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Screening and Referral Practices for Anxiety and Depression Among Patients With Chronic Neck, Shoulder and Low Back Pain Within Private Physiotherapy Practices: a Qualitative Study.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07177547
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- S69684
- Conditions
- Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain, Anxiety, Depression
- Keywords
- Physiotherapy, Chronic musculoskeletal pain, Anxiety, Depression, Screening, Referral, Qualitative study
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 18 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Ana Catarina Navarro RamalhoUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 5 May 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 18 Sep 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Sep 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 17 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this cross-sectional, qualitative study is to investigate whether physiotherapists screen for symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and to explore the facilitators and barriers related to these practices. The main questions aim to answer are:
- What are the current practices of physiotherapists in private practice for screening anxiety and depression among patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain?
- What are the facilitators and barriers influencing physiotherapists' screening and referral practices for mental health care?
Participants will:
- Take part in a semi-structured interview (online or in person).
- Be asked about their experiences, attitudes, and practices related to recognizing, screening, managing, and referring patients with anxiety and depression.
- Participants will share perspectives on barriers and facilitators to integrating mental health screening into physiotherapy.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Physiotherapists working in private practice settings in Belgium, with variation in gender, years of clinical experience, and prior mental health training. Recruitment was conducted through two channels: * Open-access contact list on the website of Axxon, the official Belgian physiotherapy professional association; * Direct outreach to physiotherapists who had previously completed mental health-related training and consented to future research contact.
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Physiotherapists treating patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
- Varied clinical experience: Less than 5 years of practice and more than 5 years of practice.
- Varied exposure to mental health training: With and without specialized training in mental health.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Mental health screening and referral practices in physiotherapyAlso: Screening for anxiety and depression in private physiotherapy practice, Screening for anxiety and depression in private physiotherapy practice Physiotherapist-led mental health recognition and referralSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 physiotherapists working in private settings to explore recognition, screening, and referral practices for anxiety and depression in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. | Other | – |
Primary outcome
Physiotherapists' perspectives on screening and referral practices for anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Time frame: From study start until completion of interviews and data analysis (approximately 6 months)
Themes identified through qualitative framework analysis of semi-structured interviews with 18 physiotherapists. The analysis focuses on recognition, screening, management, and referral practices for anxiety and depression in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, including barriers, facilitators, and professional experiences.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Sep 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41881815Ramalho ACN, Damme TV, Lambrechts M, Vieira AICF, McGrath RL, Vancampfort D. Screening and Referral Practices for Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Private Physiotherapy Practices for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Qualitative Study. Musculoskeletal Care. 2026 Mar;24(1):e70213. doi: 10.1002/msc.70213.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Anxiety, run by Ana Catarina Navarro Ramalho at 1 site in Belgium.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Sep 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Physiotherapists' perspectives on screening and referral practices for anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. (time frame: From study start until completion of interviews and data analysis (approximately 6 months)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07177547, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Sep 2025.