title: Health professional consultation and use of conservative management strategies in patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis awaiting orthopaedic consultation.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) referred for orthopaedic consultation at a large Australian public hospital reported using conservative management strategies as recommended by current practice guidelines. A therapist-assisted questionnaire was employed within the context of a standard physiotherapy assessment in a consecutive cohort of patients with hip or knee OA. Two hundred and two patients with hip or knee OA comprised the included sample. Thirty-nine percent (n=79) reported having only previously consulted their general practitioner. Only 20% (n=41) felt that they had been sufficiently educated about the diagnosis, their treatment options and prognosis. Thirty-three percent (n=66) had not previously engaged in any non-pharmacological management strategy considered a core clinical practice guideline recommendation. The findings of this study suggest that several inconsistencies may exist between current Australian clinical practice and OA clinical guideline recommendations. Identification of the barriers to the use of conservative management requires timely investigation coupled with a national implementation framework to support the translation of guideline recommendations into practice.
authors.affiliation: Royal Newcastle Centre, Locked Bag 664J, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haskins
authors.affiliation: Royal Newcastle Centre, Locked Bag 664J, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia.
authors.forename: Judith M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.affiliation: Newcastle Bone and Joint Institute, Locked Bag 664J, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia.
authors.forename: Nikolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bogduk
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000379:methods*; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000628:therapy*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000628:therapy*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology