First Contact Practitioners' (FCPs) and General Practitioners' Perceptions Towards FCPs Delivering Vocational Advice to Patients with Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Qualitative Investigation of the Implementation Potential of the I-SWAP Initiative.

The study did not include patients or employers, so it cannot show how these groups experienced the vocational advice or whether it changed work absence. Findings came from 10 FCPs and 5 GPs in two services, so they may not reflect all FCP services or general practices. No patient outcomes were measured, so this is not evidence that the I-SWAP model improves return to work. One author was an FCP who helped adapt training, delivered vocational advice, and took part in an interview, which may shape the findings. GPs were less familiar with I-SWAP and were shown an animation before discussion, so their views may reflect a brief introduction rather than routine experience.

Funded by the Joint Work and Health Unit Challenge Fund and the National Institute for Health Research. One author was an FCP who helped adapt the training, delivered vocational advice, and took part in an interview.

Do not read this as evidence that First Contact Practitioners delivering vocational advice improves work absence. It reports clinician perceptions about implementation, not patient outcomes, and most FCPs felt one-off consultations were too short to address complex barriers.