Mortality in osteoarthritis patients consulting health care

Pathophysiology and treatment of rheumatic disease

Comorbidity in osteoarhritis patients following hip and knee joint replacement surgery

Optimising joint reconstruction management in arthritis and bone tumour patient

Knee osteoarthritis and comorbidity: a feasibility study on an interactive exercise therapy course for physiotherapists

Purpose : A structured, tailored exercise therapy strategy was found to significantly improve physical functioning, reduce pain and was safe for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and severe comorbidity. The intervention was performed in a specialized, secondary care center. Before the intervention can be implemented in primary care, appropriate education as well as insight into barriers and facilitators is needed. This study aimed to 1) evaluate the feasibility and effect of an interactive course on the exercise therapy strategy for patients with OA and comorbidity for physiotherapists (PTs) working in primary care; and 2) map barriers for a larger scale implementation of the protocol in primary care. Methods : A pre-posttest study was performed among PTs who were member of a network for rheumatic diseases and PTs from regional subdivisions of the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy (KNGF) in the Netherlands (North-Holland and Mid-Holland) all working in primary care. PTs were offered a postgraduate blended educational course consisting of an e-learning lecture (7 hours study load) and two interactive workshops (each 3 hours study load). Measures of its feasibility and effectiveness included a questionnaire on knowledge (50 multiple choice questions, score ranging from 1 to 50) before (T0) and two weeks after the course (T1)) and a patient vignette to measure clinical reasoning (nine open questions, score ranging from 0 to 5) before the course (T0) and six months after the course (T2). Course satisfaction was administered on a 0-10 point scale (higher score means more satisfaction), directly after the course. Barriers for using the protocol were measured at T2 by means of a 27 item questionnaire, comprising five different dimensions: (i) Design, Content and Feasibility; (ii) Change in working method; (iii) Knowledge and Skills; (iv) Applicability; and (v) Social environment (each item was scored on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 totally agree to 4 totally disagree). Results : In total, 34 physiotherapists were included. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) improvement was found in knowledge about knee OA and comorbidity between baseline and two- weeks post education, with an average increase of 4.4 points above the baseline score. Also, a statistically significant improvement (P < 0.05) was found for clinical reasoning on adapting knee OA exercise therapy to the comorbid disease between baseline and six- months post education. Overall, the PTs were satisfied with the educational course (7.9 points (SD 0.9) (n ¼ 33)). The majority of PTs found the protocol to be supportive regarding clinical reasoning and clinical decision making. In a period of six months, 15 out of 34 PTs had treated at least one patient with knee OA and comorbidity according to the protocol. Perceived barriers for implementation included the small number of patients with OA and severe comorbidity being referred or referring themselves, treatment time needed to provide care according the protocol, and the limited number of treatments reimbursement by the insurance companies. Conclusions : An interactive educational course on exercise therapy for knee OA patients with comorbidity proved to be effective in improving knowledge and clinical reasoning skills of primary care PTs. Main barriers for larger scale implementation include limited referrals of patients with knee OA and severe comorbidity to PTs and limited number of treatments reimbursement by the insurance companies. Specialists and patients should be encouraged to consider exercise therapy as a treatment option for patients with knee OA and comorbidity

ICF linked Dutch physiotherapy guidelines concerning initial assessment, treatment and evaluation in hip and knee osteoarthritis.

Purpose: In 2001 the Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy (KNGF) Guideline for hip and knee osteoarthritis (HKOA) was developed. Since then, many scientific papers on physical therapy interventions as well as national and international guidelines were published. Relevance: An update of the physical therapy guideline was needed to support the physical therapy practice in performing the best clinical practice based on current evidence inHKOA. Participants: This guideline is developed by a guideline development committee consisting 10 expert physical therapists working in different centers specialized in care for HKOA patients. Methods: Topics concerning the three guideline chapters: initial assessment, treatment and evaluation were selected by the guideline development committee. With respect to treatment a systematic literature search (up to June 2009) within various databases was performed aiming to identify reviews and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of physical therapy interventions and the evidencewas graded (1–4). For initial assessment and evaluation mainly review papers and textbooks were used. Based on evidence and expert opinion, recommendations were formulated (5 consensus meetings and 8 feedback rounds) and graded (A–D). For the initial assessment, a description of relevant health related topics in HKOA was made according to the International Classification of Functioning, disability and health (ICF) core set for osteoarthritis (OA). Concerning treatment, 22 systematic reviews and 74 RCTs were reviewed. Analysis: A first draft of the guideline was reviewed by 17 experts from different professional backgrounds (2 feedback rounds). A second draft was field-tested by 45 physical therapists working in daily practice. The comments of both groups have been processed in the definite guideline. Results: Recommended were: exercise therapy, education and self management interventions, a combination of exercise and manual therapy, and postoperative exercise therapy in HKOA, and taping of the patella in knee OA. Neither recommended nor advised against were: balneotherapy, hydrotherapy, and preoperative physical therapy in HKOA; thermotherapy, TENS, and Continuous Passive Motion in knee OA. Not recommended were: massage, ultrasound, electrotherapy, electromagnetic field and Low Level Laser Therapy. For the evaluation of treatment goals the use of one or more of the following measurement instruments was recommended: daily activities and participation: Lequesne index,Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index questionnaire, Hip disability and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores, 6 Minute Walk test, Timed Stand Up and Go test and Patient Specific Complaint list; body functions and structures: Visual Analogue Scale for pain, Intermittent and Constant OsteoArthritis Pain questionnaire, goniometry, Medical Research Council for strength, Handheld Dynamometer. Conclusions: This update of the Dutch physical therapy guideline concerning HKOA included recommendations on the initial assessment, treatment and evaluation. The revised guideline has been launched in April 2010 and published on www.fysionet.nl (including an English translation). Implications: This guideline is helpful in physical therapy practice to perform the best practice based on current evidence. Working according guidelines is a requirement to stand registered in the Dutch physical therapy quality register

Stratified exercise therapy compared with usual care by physical therapists in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial protocol (OCTOPuS study).

OBJECTIVES: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by its heterogeneity, with large differences in clinical characteristics between patients. Therefore, a stratified approach to exercise therapy, whereby patients are allocated to homogeneous subgroups and receive a stratified, subgroup-specific intervention, can be expected to optimize current clinical effects. Recently, we developed and pilot tested a model of stratified exercise therapy based on clinically relevant subgroups of knee OA patients that we previously identified. Based on the promising results, it is timely to evaluate the (cost-)effectiveness of stratified exercise therapy compared with usual, "nonstratified" exercise therapy. METHODS: A pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial including economic and process evaluation, comparing stratified exercise therapy with usual care by physical therapists (PTs) in primary care, in a total of 408 patients with clinically diagnosed knee OA. Eligible physical therapy practices are randomized in a 1:2 ratio to provide the experimental (in 204 patients) or control intervention (in 204 patients), respectively. The experimental intervention is a model of stratified exercise therapy consisting of (a) a stratification algorithm that allocates patients to a "high muscle strength subgroup," "low muscle strength subgroup," or "obesity subgroup" and (b) subgroup-specific, protocolized exercise therapy (with an additional dietary intervention from a dietician for the obesity subgroup only). The control intervention will be usual best practice by PTs (i.e., nonstratified exercise therapy). Our primary outcome measures are knee pain severity (Numeric Rating Scale) and physical functioning (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscale daily living). Measurements will be performed at baseline, 3-month (primary endpoint), 6-month (questionnaires only), and 12-month follow-up, with an additional cost questionnaire at 9 months. Intention-to-treat, multilevel, regression analysis comparing stratified versus usual care will be performed. CONCLUSION: This study will demonstrate whether stratified care provided by primary care PTs is effective and cost-effective compared with usual best practice from PTs

Stratified exercise therapy does not improve outcomes compared with usual exercise therapy in people with knee osteoarthritis (OCTOPuS study): a cluster randomised trial.

QUESTION: In people with knee osteoarthritis, how much more effective is stratified exercise therapy that distinguishes three subgroups (high muscle strength subgroup, low muscle strength subgroup, obesity subgroup) in reducing knee pain and improving physical function than usual exercise therapy? DESIGN: Pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial in a primary care setting. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 335 people with knee osteoarthritis: 153 in an experimental arm and 182 in a control arm. INTERVENTION: Physiotherapy practices were randomised into an experimental arm providing stratified exercise therapy (supplemented by a dietary intervention from a dietician for the obesity subgroup) or a control arm providing usual, non-stratified exercise therapy. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were knee pain severity (numerical rating scale for pain, 0 to 10) and physical function (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscale activities of daily living, 0 to 100). Measurements were performed at baseline, 3 months (primary endpoint) and 6 and 12 months (follow-up). Intention-to-treat, multilevel, regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: Negligible differences were found between the experimental and control groups in knee pain (mean adjusted difference 0.2, 95% CI -0.4 to 0.7) and physical function (-0.8, 95% CI -4.3 to 2.6) at 3 months. Similar effects between groups were also found for each subgroup separately, as well as at other time points and for nearly all secondary outcome measures. CONCLUSION: This pragmatic trial demonstrated no added value regarding clinical outcomes of the model of stratified exercise therapy compared with usual exercise therapy. This could be attributed to the experimental arm therapists facing difficulty in effectively applying the model (especially in the obesity subgroup) and to elements of stratified exercise therapy possibly being applied in the control arm. REGISTRATION: Netherlands National Trial Register NL7463