title: The effectiveness of a self-management program on quality of life for knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of the Taipei Osteoarthritis Program (TOAP) for community elderly persons who suffer from knee OA.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental study was conducted between January 2008 and December 2008. Two hundred and five community-dwelling individuals aged 67±10 years with knee OA were recruited from four districts in Taipei City and randomized. By a clustered randomization according to the districts, 114 participants were in the intervention group (IG) with a 4-week TOAP program and 91 participants were in the control group (CG) with routine care. The main outcome measures included health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and disability level, which were assessed by the Short Form-36 Taiwan Version (T-SF36) and the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Arthritis Index Taiwan Version (T-WOMAC), respectively, and were repeatedly measured at the baseline, post invention (4 weeks after baseline), and follow-up (8 weeks after baseline).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects in the IG increased their changes of GH scores from baseline to post-intervention and follow-up, which were significantly more than those of subjects in the CG (p=0.011 and 0.005, respectively). Significant difference of changes was also found at follow-up for the mental component scale between the groups (p=0.013). There was no change in disability level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The arthritis self-management program improved the psychological outcomes among the participants, but it had no significant effect on a self-reported disability level.
authors: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei City Hospital, No. 105, Yu-Sheng Street, Shilin District, Taipei 111, Taiwan.
authors: Mu-Jung
authors: MJ
authors: Kao
authors: Meng-Ping
authors: MP
authors: Wu
authors: Mei-Wun
authors: MW
authors: Tsai
authors: Wan-Wen
authors: WW
authors: Chang
authors: Shu-Fang
authors: SF
authors: Wu
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology