Patient education for knee osteoarthritis

What is this study?

Researchers at La Trobe University are seeking people who have long standing knee pain or knee osteoarthritis to participate in an online concept mapping project. The project is investigating whether those with knee pain or osteoarthritis’ educational needs are being met by identifying what information they wish to receive, and comparing this to what information physiotherapists regularly deliver. This information will ultimately be used to develop new educational resources for people with long standing knee pain or knee osteoarthritis.

You may be eligible if:

  • You are aged 45 years or older AND
  • Are a resident within Australia AND
  • Have a previous diagnosis from a healthcare professional OR
  • You have activity-related joint pain with either no morning stiffness, or morning stiffness that lasts no longer than 30 minutes

Why should I participate?

Participation in this project may help people with knee pain or knee osteoarthritis identify what they want to know about their condition. These questions can then be asked to your healthcare professional on your next visit. Participants will be eligible to receive a $10 supermarket e-voucher as compensation for their time in each stage of the project.

What will I be asked to do?

Note that this study has two stages. For stage 1, if you decide to participate, you will be provided with a link to our research website. On the website you will create a username and password and have the option to answer some simple questions about yourself (age, sex, postcode of residence, where you have received treatment (if any) previously). You will then be asked to list out as many questions or items that you wish to know about your knee condition. There will also be an option to opt in or out of the second stage of this study. The first stage should take no longer than 10-20 mins to complete.

 

Participants who wish to engage in the second stage of this study will be emailed a link when it is ready for recruitment. In this stage, participants will see a big list of lots of education topics and be asked to group items together based upon similarity, and then rank how important they feel these items are to them, and how likely they feel it is to receive this information when in an appointment with a healthcare professional. This stage is estimated to take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

How can I find out more?

If you are interested to participate in our study or have any questions, please contact Dr Christian Barton at c.barton@latrobe.edu.au La Trobe Ethics Approval number: HEC19211