{
  "abstract": "Objective To characterise the organisational role configurations of physiotherapists in direct access (DA) models and describe how general practitioner (GP) gatekeeping for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions is redistributed across health systems.Design Secondary qualitative content analysis of organisational descriptions reported in published DA/first-contact physiotherapy (FCP) studies, using a structured extraction matrix and Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the synthesis of Qualitative research (ENTREQ) reporting standards. Configuration dimensions were informed ex ante by gatekeeping and task-shifting frameworks; configurations themselves were identified inductively. A dimension of operationalised treatment authority was derived during revision from existing extraction-matrix fields.Setting Primary care settings across high-income health systems, including Beveridge-type (UK, Sweden), Bismarck-type (Netherlands, France) and pluralistic systems (USA), identified through a companion systematic review prospectively registered on the Open Science Framework (osf.io/897ub).Participants 19 empirical DA/FCP primary studies were eligible for the source review; 14 contained sufficient organisational detail for configuration mapping.Results Four configurations were empirically observed and a fifth was theoretically anticipated but not found. Autonomous first-contact MSK clinician models predominated (12 of 14 studies, predominantly Beveridge-type systems) and differentiated into two subconfigurations on the basis of operationalised treatment authority: front-end assessment and signposting (type 3a, 4 studies, including the National Health Service FCP programme) and full-episode autonomous management (type 3b, 8 studies). Protocol-governed triage with mandatory post hoc medical validation (type 2) and advanced practice with extended scope (type 4) were each observed as illustrative variants supported by a single study. DA redistributed rather than abolished gatekeeping.Conclusions In well-documented implementations, DA physiotherapy is most commonly configured as a first-contact model that redistributes GP gatekeeping for MSK conditions. This exploratory typology provides a framework for hypothesis generation and future primary research, particularly in under-represented Bismarck-type health systems.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of General Practice, Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University Faculty of Medicine, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France",
        "Translational Innovation in Medicine and Complexity Laboratory (TIMC Lab), Faculty of Medicine, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France"
      ],
      "name": "Matthieu Fischer"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Translational Innovation in Medicine and Complexity Laboratory (TIMC Lab), Faculty of Medicine, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France",
        "Clinical Investigation Center CIC1406, INSERM, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France"
      ],
      "name": "Nicolas Pinsault"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of General Practice, Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University Faculty of Medicine, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France",
        "Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), INSERM U1018, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France"
      ],
      "name": "Mathilde François"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of General Practice, University Hospital Poitiers, Poitiers, France",
        "Clinical Research Centre CIC 1402, INSERM, University Hospital Poitiers, Poitiers, France"
      ],
      "name": "Stéphanie Mignot"
    }
  ],
  "title": "How direct access to physiotherapy reshapes GP gatekeeping for musculoskeletal care in primary care: an exploratory organisational typology across health systems",
  "uid": "7a7f4049-f04d-5800-a269-4c8852b36fb8"
}