Pharmacist-physiotherapist collaborative management for early knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slowly progressive chronic condition that is associated with aging and is characterized as joint pain. Individuals with early-stage OA usually attempt to treat their OA with pain medication therefore Alberta pharmacists can be seen as a first point of contact for these individuals to access appropriate care. Education, self-management, and exercise are elements that aid in managing this progressive chronic condition. Typically, a health care professional such as a physiotherapist or pharmacist may help with the development and application of these self-management skills. In this study, the primary objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a 3-month pharmacist-physiotherapist community collaboration in patients with early knee OA on pain relief and functional improvement. The proposed research looking at early OA in the community will be of particular interest to Arthritis Research Canada (ARC) given its mandate of arthritis including OA. Little research has looked at early knee OA in the community; it has, more often than not, looked at moderate to advance OA when people access the medical system. The findings from this work will be of particular to the arthritis networks such as The Arthritis Society.

Faculty Supervisor:

Allyson Jones

Student:

Partner:

Arthritis Research Canada

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

University of Alberta

Program: