Cost-effectiveness of an 8-week supervised education and exercise therapy programme for knee and hip osteoarthritis: a pre-post analysis of 16 255 patients participating in Good Life with osteoArthritis in Denmark (GLA:D)

Guideline-based exercise management for hip and knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional comparison of healthcare professional and patient beliefs in Ireland

OBJECTIVES

To identify within-stakeholder agreement and between-stakeholder differences in beliefs regarding exercise for osteoarthritis among general practitioners (GPs), physiotherapists (PTs) and people with hip and knee osteoarthritis (PwOA). A secondary objective was to explore the association between referral patterns and beliefs of PwOA.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Online surveys administered to GPs, PTs and PwOA in Ireland via social media and healthcare networks.

PARTICIPANTS

421 valid responses (n=161 GPs, n=163 PTs, n=97 PwOA).

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Nine belief statements related to exercise effectiveness, safety and delivery were rated on a 5-point Likert scale and analysed for within-stakeholder consensus. χ2 tests assessed differences in agreement between groups. Multivariable linear regression models tested associations between beliefs in PwOA and referral to/attendance at physiotherapy.

RESULTS

Positive within-stakeholder consensus (>75% agreement) was reached for most statements (7/9 GPs, 6/9 PTs, 5/9 PwOA). However, beliefs of PwOA were significantly less positive compared with healthcare professionals for six statements. All stakeholders disagreed that exercise is effective regardless of the level of pain. Attendance at physiotherapy (49% of PwOA), rather than referral to physiotherapy from a GP only, was associated with positive exercise beliefs for PwOA (β=0.287 (95% CI 0.299 to 1.821)).

CONCLUSIONS

Beliefs about exercise therapy for osteoarthritis are predominantly positive across all stakeholders, although less positive in PwOA. PwOA are more likely to have positive beliefs if they have seen a PT for their osteoarthritis. Knowledge translation should highlight the effectiveness of exercise for all levels of pain and osteoarthritis disease.

Cost-effectiveness of strength exercise or aerobic exercise compared with usual care for patients with knee osteoarthritis: secondary results from a multiarm randomised controlled trial in Norway

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the 1-year cost-effectiveness of strength exercise or aerobic exercise compared with usual care for patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA), from a societal and healthcare perspective.

DESIGN

Cost-effectiveness analysis embedded in a three-arm randomised controlled trial.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A total of 161 people with symptomatic knee OA seeking Norwegian primary or secondary care were included in the analyses.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants were randomised to either 12 weeks of strength exercise (n=54), 12 weeks of aerobic exercise (n=53) or usual care (n=54).

OUTCOME MEASURES

Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) estimated by the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels, and costs related to healthcare utilisation and productivity loss estimated in euros (€), aggregated for 1 year of follow-up. Cost-effectiveness was expressed with mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Bootstrapping was used to estimate ICER uncertainty.

RESULTS

From a 1-year societal perspective, the mean cost per patient was €7954, €8101 and €17 398 in the strength exercise, aerobic exercise and usual care group, respectively. From a 1-year healthcare perspective, the mean cost per patient was €848, €2003 and €1654 in the strength exercise, aerobic exercise and usual care group, respectively. Mean differences in costs significantly favoured strength exercise and aerobic exercise from a 1-year societal perspective and strength exercise from a 1-year healthcare perspective. There were no significant differences in mean QALYs between groups. From a 1-year societal perspective, at a willingness-to-pay threshold of €27 500, the probability of strength exercise or aerobic exercise being cost-effective was ≥98%. From a 1-year healthcare perspective, the probability of strength exercise or aerobic exercise being cost-effective was ≥97% and ≥76%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

From a 1-year societal and healthcare perspective, a 12-week strength exercise or aerobic exercise programme is cost-effective compared with usual care in patients with symptomatic knee OA.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT01682980.

Cost-Effectiveness of Treatments for Musculoskeletal Conditions Offered by Physiotherapists: A Systematic Review of Trial-Based Evaluations

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal conditions are a leading contributor to disability worldwide. The treatment of these conditions accounts for 7% of health care costs in Germany and is often provided by physiotherapists. Yet, an overview of the cost-effectiveness of treatments for musculoskeletal conditions offered by physiotherapists is missing. This review aims to provide an overview of full economic evaluations of interventions for musculoskeletal conditions offered by physiotherapists.

METHODS

We systematically searched for publications in Medline, EconLit, and NHS-EED. Title and abstracts, followed by full texts were screened independently by two authors. We included trial-based full economic evaluations of physiotherapeutic interventions for patients with musculoskeletal conditions and allowed any control group. We extracted participants' information, the setting, the intervention, and details on the economic analyses. We evaluated the quality of the included articles with the Consensus on Health Economic Criteria checklist.

RESULTS

We identified 5141 eligible publications and included 83 articles. The articles were based on 78 clinical trials. They addressed conditions of the spine (n = 39), the upper limb (n = 8), the lower limb (n = 30), and some other conditions (n = 6). The most investigated conditions were low back pain (n = 25) and knee and hip osteoarthritis (n = 16). The articles involved 69 comparisons between physiotherapeutic interventions (in which we defined primary interventions) and 81 comparisons in which only one intervention was offered by a physiotherapist. Physiotherapeutic interventions compared to those provided by other health professionals were cheaper and more effective in 43% (18/42) of the comparisons. Ten percent (4/42) of the interventions were dominated. The overall quality of the articles was high. However, the description of delivered interventions varied widely and often lacked details. This limited fair treatment comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS

High-quality evidence was found for physiotherapeutic interventions to be cost-effective, but the result depends on the patient group, intervention, and control arm. Treatments of knee and back conditions were primarily investigated, highlighting a need for physiotherapeutic cost-effectiveness analyses of less often investigated joints and conditions. The documentation of provided interventions needs improvement to enable clinicians and stakeholders to fairly compare interventions and ultimately adopt cost-effective treatments.

The causal effect of two occupational factors on osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: a Mendelian randomization study

Background

Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are two common types of arthritis. We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study to estimate the causal effects of two common occupational factors-job involves heavy manual or physical work and job involves mainly walking or standing-on OA and RA in individuals of European ancestry.

Methods

Instruments were chosen from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) that identified independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) robustly linked to job involves heavy manual or physical work (N = 263,615) as well as job involves mainly walking or standing (N = 263,556). Summary statistics for OA and RA were taken from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) GWAS database; both discovery and replication GWAS datasets were considered. The primary analysis utilized the inverse variance weighted (IVW) MR method supplemented by various sensitivity MR analyses.

Results

In the IVW model, we found that genetically predicted job involves heavy manual or physical work was significantly associated with OA in both the discovery [odds ratio (OR) = 1.034, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.016-1.053, P = 2.257 × 10-4] and replication (OR = 1.857, 95% CI: 1.223-2.822, P = 0.004) analyses. The causal associations were supported in diverse sensitivity analyses. MR analyses suggested no causal effect of genetically predicted job involves heavy manual or physical work on RA. Similarly, our data provided no evidence that genetically predicted job involves mainly walking or standing was related to OA and RA.

Conclusions

Our MR study suggests that job involves heavy manual or physical work is a risk factor for OA. It is of utmost importance to create preventive strategies aimed at reducing its impact on OA at such work sites.

Physiological and clinical effects of low-intensity blood-flow restricted resistance exercise compared to standard rehabilitation in adults with knee osteoarthritis-Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease with high socioeconomical costs. In Denmark, standard rehabilitation (SR) consists of a combination of patient education and supervised physical exercise involving a standardized neuromuscular training program. As an evidence-based alternative, high-load (>70% 1RM) resistance training (HIRT) has shown positive rehabilitation effects in knee-OA but may not be tolerated in all patients (~25%) due to knee joint pain. However, low-load resistance training (20-40% 1RM) with concurrent partial blood-flow restriction (BFR) appears to produce effects similar to HIRT yet involving reduced joint pain during and after exercise. The aim is to examine the effect of low-load BFR training compared to SR on pain, thigh muscle mass and muscle function in adults with knee-OA. We hypothesize that 12 weeks of BFR will lead to superior improvements in pain, muscle mass and mechanical muscle function compared to SR.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

90 participants diagnosed with radiographic knee-OA will be randomized to either BFR or SR twice a week for 12 weeks. BFR will consist of two selected lower limb strength exercises performed with an inflated pneumatic occlusion cuff. Intervention procedures in SR consist of a full 8 weeks GLA:D course followed by 4 weeks of team group training. Primary outcome variable is the change in KOOS-Pain subscale from baseline to 12 weeks. Secondary outcome variables are changes in pain sensitivity, functional performance, muscle mass and mechanical muscle function. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses will be conducted. One-way analysis of variance will be performed to evaluate between-group changes. Pre-to-post intervention comparisons will be analyzed using a mixed linear model. Regression analysis will be performed to evaluate potential associations between selected outcome variables.

The effect of geographic location and payor type on provincial-wide delivery of the GLA:D program for hip and knee osteoarthritis in Alberta, Canada

Objective

The Good Life with osteoArthritis: Denmark (GLA:D™) program for knee and hip osteoarthritis has been shown to be effective, but evaluations have yet to explore whether effectiveness differs by program context. The present study explores whether there are differences in effectiveness of the GLA:D™ program for treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis across program location (i.e., rural, urban, metro) and program payor (i.e., public, private) within Alberta, Canada.

Design

The study population was adults with hip or knee osteoarthritis attending the 8-week GLA:D™ supervised exercise and education programme in Alberta between Sep 2017-Mar 2020. Outcomes of interest were joint-related pain and quality of life (HOOS/KOOS), health quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), and performance-based functional (30-s chair stand test; 40-m walk test) measures. Minimally clinically important changes were calculated for each outcome and ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to determine statistical significance by program location or payor.

Results

Of the 1321 eligible participants, 974 (73.7%) completed the baseline questionnaire, about 50% of participants participated in a metro area and 60% paid privately for the program. There were no statistically significant differences in improvements of joint-related pain, joint-related quality of life, health-related quality of life, or performance-based functional measures by program location or program payor, except for participants who received the program in a publicly covered primary care clinic who experienced significantly larger improvements in joint-related pain.

Conclusion

The implementation of the GLA:D™ program for the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis in Alberta is effective across a range of contexts.

The GLA:D® Canada program for knee and hip osteoarthritis: A comprehensive profile of program participants from 2017 to 2022

BACKGROUND

The Good Life with osteoArthritis in Denmark (GLA:D®) program was implemented in Canada in 2017 with the aim of making treatment guideline-recommended care available to the 4 million Canadians with knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA). This report describes the GLA:D® Canada program, registry and data collection procedures, and summarizes the sociodemographic and clinical profile of participants with knee and hip OA to inform the scientific research community of the availability of these data for future investigations and collaborations.

METHODS

The GLA:D® program consists of three standardized components: a training course for health care providers, a group-based patient education and exercise therapy program, and a participant data registry. Patients seeking care for knee or hip OA symptoms and enrolling in GLA:D® are given the option to provide data to the GLA:D® Canada registry. Participants agreeing to provide data complete a pre-program survey and are followed up after 3-, and 12-months. Data collected on the pre-program and follow-up surveys include sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, health status measures, and objective physical function tests. These variables were selected to capture information across relevant health constructs and for future research investigations.

RESULTS

At 2022 year-end, a total of 15,193 (11,228 knee; 3,965 hip) participants were included in the GLA:D® Canada registry with 7,527 (knee; 67.0%) and 2,798 (hip; 70.6%) providing pre-program data. Participants were 66 years of age on average, predominately female, and overweight or obese. Typically, participants had knee or hip problems for multiple years prior to initiating GLA:D®, multiple symptomatic knee and hip joints, and at least one medical comorbidity. Before starting the program, the average pain intensity was 5 out of 10, with approximately 2 out of 3 participants using pain medication and 1 in 3 participants reporting a desire to have joint surgery. Likewise, 9 out 10 participants report having previously been given a diagnosis of OA, with 9 out 10 also reporting having had a radiograph, of which approximately 87% reported the radiograph showed signs of OA.

CONCLUSION

We have described the GLA:D® Canada program, registry and data collection procedures, and provided a detailed summary to date of the profiles of participants with knee and hip OA. These individual participant data have the potential to be linked with local health administrative data registries and comparatively assessed with other international GLA:D® registries. Researchers are invited to make use of these rich datasets and participate in collaborative endeavours to tackle questions of Canadian and global importance for a large and growing clinical population of individuals with hip and knee OA.

Primary care-based models of care for osteoarthritis; a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To identify and describe the extent, nature, characteristics, and impact of primary care-based models of care (MoCs) for osteoarthritis (OA) that have been developed and/or evaluated.

DESIGN

Six electronic databases were searched from 2010 to May 2022. Relevant data were extracted and collated for narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

Sixty-three studies pertaining to 37 discrete MoCs from 13 countries were included, of which 23 (62%) could be classified as OA management programmes (OAMPs) comprising a self-management intervention to be delivered as a discrete package. Four models (11%) focussed on enhancing the initial consultation between a patient presenting with OA at the first point of contact into a local health system and the clinician. Emphasis was placed on educational training for general practitioners (GPs) and allied healthcare professionals delivering this initial consultation. The remaining 10 MoCs (27%) detailed integrated care pathways of onward referral to specialist secondary orthopaedic and rheumatology care within local healthcare systems. The majority (35/37; 95%) were developed in high-income countries and 32/37 (87%) targeted hip/and or knee OA. Frequently identified model components included GP-led care, referral to primary care services and multidisciplinary care. The models were predominantly 'one-size fits all' and lacked individualised care approaches. A minority of MoCs, 5/37 (14%) were developed using underlying frameworks, three (8%) of which incorporated behaviour change theories, while 13/37 (35%) incorporated provider training. Thirty-four of the 37 models (92%) were evaluated. Outcome domains most frequently reported included clinical outcomes, followed by system- and provider-level outcomes. While there was evidence of improved quality of OA care associated with the models, effects on clinical outcomes were mixed.

CONCLUSION

There are emerging efforts internationally to develop evidence-based models focused on non-surgical primary care OA management. Notwithstanding variations in healthcare systems and resources, future research should focus on model development alignment with implementation science frameworks and theories, key stakeholder involvement including patient and public representation, provision of training and education for providers, treatment individualisation, integration and coordination of services across the care continuum and incorporation of behaviour change strategies to foster long-term adherence and self-management.

Smartphone-assisted training with education for patients with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis (SmArt-E): study protocol for a multicentre pragmatic randomized controlled trial

Introduction

Hip and knee osteoarthritis are associated with functional limitations, pain and restrictions in quality of life and the ability to work. Furthermore, with growing prevalence, osteoarthritis is increasingly causing (in)direct costs. Guidelines recommend exercise therapy and education as primary treatment strategies. Available options for treatment based on physical activity promotion and lifestyle change are often insufficiently provided and used. In addition, the quality of current exercise programmes often does not meet the changing care needs of older people with comorbidities and exercise adherence is a challenge beyond personal physiotherapy. The main objective of this study is to investigate the short- and long-term (cost-)effectiveness of the SmArt-E programme in people with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis in terms of pain and physical functioning compared to usual care.

Methods

This study is designed as a multicentre randomized controlled trial with a target sample size of 330 patients. The intervention is based on the e-Exercise intervention from the Netherlands, consists of a training and education programme and is conducted as a blended care intervention over 12 months. We use an app to support independent training and the development of self-management skills. The primary and secondary hypotheses are that participants in the SmArt-E intervention will have less pain (numerical rating scale) and better physical functioning (Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) compared to participants in the usual care group after 12 and 3 months. Other secondary outcomes are based on domains of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI). The study will be accompanied by a process evaluation.

Discussion

After a positive evaluation, SmArt-E can be offered in usual care, flexibly addressing different care situations. The desired sustainability and the support of the participants’ behavioural change are initiated via the app through audio-visual contact with their physiotherapists. Furthermore, the app supports the repetition and consolidation of learned training and educational content. For people with osteoarthritis, the new form of care with proven effectiveness can lead to a reduction in underuse and misuse of care as well as contribute to a reduction in (in)direct costs.

Trial registration

German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00028477. Registered on August 10, 2022.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-023-06255-7.

Osteoarthritis year in review 2022: rehabilitation

This year in review presents key highlights from research relating to osteoarthritis (OA) rehabilitation published from the 1^st April 2021 to the 18^th March 2022. To identify studies for inclusion in the review, an electronic database search was carried out in Medline, Embase and CINAHLplus. Following screening, included studies were grouped according to their predominant topic area, including core OA rehabilitation treatments (education, exercise, weight loss), adjunctive treatments, novel and emerging treatments or research methods, and translation of rehabilitation evidence into practice. Studies of perceived high clinical importance, quality, or controversy in the field were selected for inclusion in the review. Headline findings include: the positive role of technology to support remote delivery of core OA rehabilitation treatments, the importance of delivering educational interventions alongside exercise, the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a stepped approach to exercise, controversy around the potential mechanisms of action of exercise, mixed findings regarding the use of splinting for thumb base OA, increasing research on blood flow restriction training as a potential new intervention for OA, and evidence that the beneficial effects from core OA treatments seen in randomised controlled trials can be seen when implemented in clinical practice. A consistent finding across several recently published systematic reviews is that randomised controlled trials testing OA rehabilitation interventions are often small, with some risk of bias. Whilst future research is warranted, it needs to be large scale and robust, to enable definitive answers to important remaining questions in the field of OA rehabilitation.

Implementation of clinical guidelines for osteoarthritis together (IMPACT): protocol for a participatory health research approach to implementing high value care

Background

The evidence-based interventions of exercise and education have been strongly recommended as part of prominent clinical guidelines for hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) for more than ten years. Despite the wealth of strong evidence that exists, implementation in practice is sub-optimal. This paper describes the key methodologies used in the co-design, tailoring, and evaluation of the IMPACT project implementation strategies, to confront this problem across multiple levels (micro, meso, macro) in public and private healthcare settings in Ireland.

Methods

Using a type III hybrid implementation-effectiveness design, a participatory, dynamic and iterative process will be used to tailor and evaluate multi-level implementation strategies using the following stages: 1) Co-design the implementation strategies with key stakeholders using best evidence, a theory-driven implementation framework (Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research), local context and expert consensus; 2) Pilot and evaluate the implementation strategies by training physiotherapists to deliver the evidence-based Good Life with osteoArthritis Denmark (GLA:D®) education and exercise programme using the implementation strategies, and conduct a mixed-methods process evaluation; 3) Adapt the implementation strategies based on implementation process evaluation indicators from stage two. The adapted strategies will be used for scale-up and sustainability in subsequent GLA:D® Ireland training programmes that will be rolled out nationally. Evaluation of effectiveness on patient and cost outcomes will continue up to 12 months post-programme delivery, using an online patient registry and pre-post design.

Discussion

This implementation science project aims to use participatory health research to address a gap in management of OA across public and private healthcare settings. This research has the potential to change practice and promote a policy of exercise and physical activity referral for chronic musculoskeletal disease that utilises community engagement effectively and enacts change ‘together’, with involvement of researchers, decision-makers, clinicians and patients.