A lifestyle management programme included on exercise, diet and physiotherapy without any delay play a significant role in managing OA problem.
A recently published qualitative study in 'Musculoskeletal Care' elucidated that shared decision‐making about lifestyle management without delaying orthopaedic opinion is preferable, and more psychological support may boost participation.
The Lifestyle
Management Programme (LMP) is an exercise and weight management
programme which entails physiotherapy support for people suffering
from hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) and a body mass index (BMI) of
over 35. The views and experiences of the LMP among patients and
professionals have been examined in this study along with insights for
future programmes.
The focus groups
comprised of 5 referring clinicians and 6 delivering professionals.
Three referring GPs and nine patients who attended the LMP
participated in the semi‐structured interviews with questions like
reasons for taking up and continuing the programme or not, and
experiences and outcomes. The qualitative data was assessed using the
framework method.
All in all, the
patients and professionals valued the multidisciplinary nature of the
LMP. But, the professionals described feeling guilty about delaying
patients on the orthopaedic waiting list and assumed that the
programme should be redirected to those with less severe OA and lower
BMI. The referring clinicians differed in their interpretation of the
referral criteria and expressed varying levels of autonomy in case of
making the referrals. The patients referred following consultation
with their general practitioner seemed to be more pleased with the
referral process. The patients were persuaded to improve health,
their likelihood of surgery and the social benefits. Nevertheless,
the patients were discouraged by lack of readiness to change,
inconvenience, cost and embarrassment.
The authors of this study concluded that the programme might be better focused on rehabilitation for patients with a lower BMI and less severe symptoms.
Musculoskeletal Care
A lifestyle management programme focused on exercise, diet and physiotherapy support for patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis and a body mass index over 35: A qualitative study
Rebecca-Jane Law et al.
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