A study into the impact of a digital exercise programme designed to support adults managing MSK problems has found that it provides similar outcomes to face-to-face physiotherapy. The platform, Good Boost, provides digital personalised therapeutic exercises to support those living with long-term conditions.
Data from 40,000 exercise sessions highlighted that at 12 and 26-week follow-ups, “more than a third of people were experiencing less pain” and around 47 percent achieved “clinically meaningful improvement” in physical function. More than 65 percent also reported a positive improvement in their condition.
Delivering these results comes at an estimated cost of £100 to £120 for two sessions per week over three months, according to the study, adding up to a typical cost saving of £168 per person when compared with NHS physiotherapy.
“Data analysis demonstrates that Good Boost delivers an average of 0.14 WELLBYs per participant over a 12-week period, delivering £2,140 social value per participant,” it states. “With the average cost per participants of £129.60, the social return on investment is a ration of 1:16.5, or for every £1 of cost, Good Boost delivers £16.50 in social value. Overall, the Good Boost programme is approximately 11.7 times more cost-effective than the expected cost of delivering a WELLBY through the benchmarked cost of NHS programmes delivering a WELLBY.”
Hussain Al-Zubaidi, lifestyle and physical activity lead at the Royal College of General Practitioners, noted the findings highlight the “huge potential” of digitally-enabled support for people with MSK conditions, adding: “By combining evidence-based movement with community delivery, programmes like Good Boost can improve outcomes, widen access, and reduce pressure on NHS services. This is exactly the kind of prevention-focused, neighbourhood health approach the NHS urgently needs.”
The programme is now being expanded nationally with local authorities, the NHS, and ICBs.
Wider trend: Digital MSK
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust has issued a prior information notice sharing its intent to procure an MSK physiotherapy AI service. Seeking a UK-based service using AI to drive care delivery, the trust outlines requirements for a “readily available, comprehensive, end-to-end clinical pathway for both new and existing patients”, offering an alternative to traditional care pathways. The service procured will incorporate a hybrid model, comprising both AI physio appointments and virtual appointments with HCPC registered physiotherapists under the employ of the contracted provider.
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB has awarded a contract with a total value of £206,692 to getUBetter for a digital MSK self-management platform. The platform is intended to support patients across primary, secondary, and community care in the region with common MSK injuries and conditions. Patients may be directed to the app at any point in the MSK management pathway, for help to self-manage their recovery and general health. getUBetter is a Class 1 medical device and is DTAC certified, the ICB notes, with the platform having been locally configured to the ICB MSK pathway.
Cambridgeshire Community Services and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS trusts have shared outcomes from the use of an AI app in physiotherapy services, amidst a £2 million procurement exercise to roll out a similar programme for the next three years. During a 12-week pilot at Cambridgeshire Community in partnership with the GIRFT Further Faster programme and Flok Health, patients in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were invited to use an AI-based app for their physiotherapy, with more than 2,500 signing up. Outcomes from that pilot included a 44 percent reduction in waiting times for musculoskeletal services, and a 55 percent reduction in back pain waiting lists. The trusts also highlight “hundreds of hours” of clinician time saved to focus on patients with more complex needs.
