Knee OA intervention
Pharmacist-initiated intervention in knee Osteoarthritis (PHIT-OA).
Project Goals - What are we doing?
We will evaluate if community pharmacists can identify patients with likely knee osteoarthritis and initiate a multidisciplinary intervention that will improve quality of care and outcomes in knee osteoarthritis. The goal of the study is to compare two groups: one of which will be offered the program that includes information about the disease, pain medications and exercise program, and the second group who will only receive an educational brochure which is the current usual procedure. Chance will determine to which group the participants will be assigned.Research Outcomes - What will be achieved?
This is a pilot study of multidisciplinary interventions for individuals with knee pain with a high likelihood of knee osteoarthritis that could model for other chronic diseases. Community pharmacists will refer individuals to a comprehensive osteoarthritis treatment program at the provincial arthritis centre involving physiotherapists. In addition, formal communication will be initiated with their family doctor. Those in the usual care group will receive an educational osteoarthritis pamphlet. Within the first few months of diagnosis individuals will have physical examination, radiographs, education, exercise, weight loss, assistive devices and pharmacologic therapy. This pilot project will determine the proportion of patients who meet the Arthritis Foundation's Quality Indicator Set for osteoarthritis in the treatment arm compared to those in the usual care arm.Background - Why is this research important?
Osteoarthritis is a major public health concern. Currently, there are at least 3 million Canadians afflicted with this condition with a 50% increase predicted by 2020. It is estimated that 85% of Canadians are afflicted with OA by age 70 resulting in a large personal burden, as well as one for the whole of Canadian society. Using our current health care system, it is doubtful that this health system can keep pace with this increasing demand unless new procedures for providing care are developed. Alternative health care delivery strategies must be investigated. In a previous study, we found that pharmacists, using a simple screening questionnaire, could accurately identify people with knee pain who have knee osteoarthritis. Since consumers visit pharmacists about 5 times more than they visit their family doctor, pharmacists are well positioned to provide help to people with OA. For this reason, we want to find out if pharmacists can initiate a program (that would involve physiotherapists and family doctors) for patients to reduce their symptoms of knee OA.Back to Early Detection of Osteoarthritis: Selected Projects