Effects of Comprehensive Care for Knee OA

Launched by INDIANA UNIVERSITY · Nov 3, 1999

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Anticipating trends toward generalism in medicine, the rheumatology community has begun to set forth guidelines for managing osteoarthritis (OA). These guidelines emphasize a comprehensive approach toward nondrug treatment (e.g., patient education, exercise, social support) and a conservative approach to drug management to minimize the side effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Unfortunately, few primary care physicians provide conservative, comprehensive care for OA as promoted in the recent rheumatology literature. Also, although researchers have studied individual ele...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Study participants must be treated for chronic knee pain by a primary care physician at a participating HMO and satisfy American College of Rheumatology Clinical Criteria for the diagnosis of knee OA.
• • All subjects will be able to read and write English, have a telephone, and give informed consent.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Significant hematologic, renal, hepatic, or cardiovascular disease (but not including mild/moderate hypertension) or any other serious medical condition that might preclude the subject's ability to participate fully in the project, keep clinic appointments, etc.
• • Conditions other than knee OA which limit lower extremity function and mobility and/or would confound the evaluation of knee pain and function (e.g., clinically significant spinal or hip arthritis, painful or dysfunctional feet, peripheral vascular disease, lumbar radiculopathy, stroke, etc.).
• • A known "secondary" cause of OA, including acute or chronic infectious arthritis; crystal-induced arthritis; systemic inflammatory connective tissue disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus); osteonecrosis; Paget's disease; or metabolic diseases, such as hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, or ochronosis.

Trial Officials