Table 1.

Outcome measures, timing of data collection and source of data

	Timing	Source
Patient identifiers, type of problem, age and sex	Pre-consent	Referral letter. Recorded (anonymised) in research database
Demographic details	Baseline	Baseline patient questionnaire
SF36v2	Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months	Patient questionnaires
MYMOP	Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months	Patient questionnaires
EQ5D	Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months	Patient questionnaires
Overall perception of improvement	6 weeks, 6 months	Patient questionnaires
Time lost from work and usual activities	Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months	Patient questionnaires
Satisfaction with care provided	6 weeks, 6 months	Patient questionnaire
Preference for Physiodirect or usual care	Baseline, 6 months	Patient questionnaires
Waiting time for treatment	Collected at end of study	Physiotherapy service records, from date of referral received to date first phone or face-to-face consultation
Patient and companion costs	6 weeks, 6 months	Patient questionnaires
Cost of lost production associated with time off work and usual activities.	6 weeks, 6 months	Estimated from information in patient questionnaires
Costs of providing physiotherapy	Set up costs: collected during set up phase and once the service is operating. Treatment over 6 months: collected at end of study.	Set up: data from PCTs about resources involved in setting up the service; Treatment: physiotherapy records, data collected within the trial about lengths of consultations, staff use of time, staff grades etc.
Costs in general practice (consultations, treatments, investigations)	Collected at end of study, from randomisation to 6 months	Patients GP records, consultations costed using Netten and Curtis and NHS reference costs for other costs
Costs of prescriptions	Collected at end of study, from randomisation to 6 months	Patients GP records, costed using British National Formulary
NHS secondary care costs (outpatients, inpatients, admissions)	6 weeks, 6 months	Patient questionnaires for resource use, costed using NHS tariffs
Process evaluation: number, type & duration of consultations with physiotherapists; non-attended appointments with physiotherapists.	Collected throughout study from randomisation to 6 months	Physiotherapy records
Qualifications and experience of physiotherapists.	Collected at the beginning of the study	Online questionnaire completed by physiotherapists
Complaints and adverse events	Collected throughout study from randomisation to 6 months	Notified by patients, physiotherapy services, general practices or any other sources.