Objective:

To investigate the impact of a 3-month education and exercise program on patients' willingness to undergo joint replacement surgery for knee or hip osteoarthritis.

Approach:

• Study Design: The study included 55,059 adults with osteoarthritis who participated in a nationwide program offering disease education and personalized physical therapy.
• Participant Assessment: Participants were categorized based on their willingness to undergo surgery before and after the program.
• Outcome Measurement: The study measured the incidence of joint replacement surgery over five and nine years.

Key Findings:

• Patients who became unwilling to undergo surgery after the program had a 20% lower risk of surgery compared to those who remained willing.
• Surgery was delayed by an average of 1.1 years for those who shifted from willing to unwilling.
• At nine years, the likelihood of surgery remained 15% lower in the unwilling group.
• Participants who became unwilling showed significant symptom improvement, with average joint pain scores decreasing from 6.3 to 4.2.

Interpretation:

Limitations:

• The study lacked a control group and cannot establish causation.
• Further research is needed to explore how education and exercise affect willingness for surgery.

Conclusion:

The findings highlight the importance of patient-reported outcomes in evaluating osteoarthritis treatment strategies.

Sources:

• PLOS Medicine