Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Early Intervention Programmes in Compensable Settings: A Multi-stakeholder Qualitative Study in Australia

PURPOSE: This qualitative study aimed to explore the perspectives of researchers, insurance personnel, and regulators on the barriers and facilitators to implementing early intervention programmes in compensable settings in Australia. METHODS: Nineteen participants from across Australia were interviewed using a semi-structured format. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Through thematic analysis, five key themes were constructed: the knowing-doing gap: shared commitment but fragmented implementation; innovation versus inertia: organisational forces that shape implementation; evidence lost in practice: how low-value care undermines early intervention; bound by the system: legislative and bureaucratic barriers to early intervention; and invisible obstacles: why claims don't start when injuries do. These themes reveal that whilst early intervention is widely valued, its implementation is constrained by fragmented definitions, organisational resistance, misaligned clinical practices, legislative complexity, and delays in claim lodgement. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that achieving timely and effective early intervention requires more than clinical strategies; it demands system-level reform. Coordinated leadership, policy innovation, and streamlined processes are essential to overcome entrenched structural barriers. Initiatives such as public education, provider accreditation, and legislative reform may enhance access to evidence-based care and improve recovery outcomes for claimants.