Design and development of an eHealth intervention to support self-management in people with musculoskeletal disorders: 'eHealth: it's TIME'.

This was a prototype development study, not a trial of effectiveness, so it cannot tell clinicians whether the intervention improves pain, function or self-management. The sample was small and convenience recruited, and most participants were female, highly qualified and reported good eHealth literacy, so it may not represent diverse musculoskeletal patients. People with recent surgery, pregnancy or specific pathological causes of pain were excluded, so the findings may not apply to those groups. The prototype was still changing and was described as relatively simple, so usability results may not reflect the final product. Two participants were known to the interviewer, although reflexivity memos were used to reduce bias.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. MK received a research bursary from the Chartered Physiotherapists in Musculoskeletal Therapy, a clinical interest group of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists.

Do not conclude that this eHealth prototype improves pain, function, or self-management. The paper reports design, refinement and usability testing only, and the authors say feasibility testing and a large randomised controlled trial are needed before effectiveness can be confirmed.