title: The experience of living with knee osteoarthritis: exploring illness and treatment beliefs through thematic analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of disability in older adults. However, there is limited research on the daily experience of living with knee OA. We aimed to offer insight into the beliefs of patients with knee OA about their illness and treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 women and 7 men with physician-diagnosed knee OA, aged between 48 and 84 years (mean = 62, SD = 7). The audio-taped interviews lasted from 30 min to 1 h, and were transcribed verbatim. The data were subjected to thematic analysis. The transcripts were independently coded by two researchers to increase reliability of coding.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six themes were developed and two of these are examined in further detail: (i) Illness representation and (ii) Beliefs about the medical and surgical control of pain. Illness representation comprised beliefs about people's understanding of OA and their pain experience, as well as expectations about the course of illness. The second theme presented experiences of limited pain relief and concerns about the use of drugs and surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exploring illness representations and beliefs about medical and surgical control of pain may provide the basis for initiating psychological interventions for people with knee OA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People with knee OA place pain at the core of their living, and hold beliefs about knee OA being an incurable disease of a progressive nature, linked to specific causal factors. People with OA have concerns and worries about use of medication to control pain, and are ambivalent towards relying on medical or surgical interventions. Exploring and addressing patient illness beliefs and treatment expectations may help improve concordance with and outcomes from intervention.
authors.affiliation: Arthritis Research UK Pain Centre, University of Nottingham , Nottingham , UK.
authors.forename: Nektaria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pouli
authors.forename: Roshan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Das Nair
authors.forename: Nadina Berrice
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Lincoln
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003469:Culture; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000523:psychology*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics