Pharmacist-physiotherapist Collaborative Management for Early Knee Osteoarthritis

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Other
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

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 do not seek medical attention. If and when they do, patients more often present to a pharmacy for over-the-counter medications. The investigators want to leverage community pharmacists' accessibility and scope of practice to best support patients with early knee OA. Given there are no disease-modifying treatments for OA, treatment guidelines center on patient education, self-management, and exercise, with medications playing a supporting role. Self-management is an effective strategy that provides a solid foundation for managing this progressive chronic condition and health care professionals like physiotherapists and pharmacists can help with the development and application of these skills.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 50
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• regularly experiencing pain, aching, or stiffness in and/or around the knee for at least 1 month

• complete the screening PhIT-OA questionnaire

Locations
Other Locations
Canada
Mint Health & Drugs Festival Place Sherwood Park
RECRUITING
Sherwood Park
Contact Information
Primary
Allyson Jones
cajones@ualberta.ca
780-492-2020
Backup
Jordyn Burgar
burgar@ucalgary.ca
Time Frame
Start Date: 2025-08-13
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-09
Participants
Target number of participants: 125
Treatments
No_intervention: Usual Care (Control) Group
Pharmacists will provide a general educational pamphlet and will inform the primary care physician of patient participation and referral for further assessment of knee OA.~Participants randomized to this group will be offered physiotherapy and/or pharmacy interventions (individual or GLA:D program 3 months after enrollment) and pharmacy options (comprehensive medication review). It will be explained to participants that usual care is 'conservative therapy'.~Usual care participants will be eligible to opt in for a comprehensive medication review (pharmacist) and/or the physiotherapy sessions and will be evaluated at 9-months after enrollment.
Experimental: Intervention Group
Pharmacists will provide comprehensive 1:1 patient care, including a SCHOLAR assessment and medication review, provide specific drug therapy recommendation(s) using shared decision making (SDM), and provide comprehensive patient education/resources. Pharmacists will refer to physiotherapy clinics located nearby for patient convenience and to establish community pharmacy/physiotherapy clinic relationships.~Participants will be offered a physiotherapy assessment at a nearby physiotherapy clinic within 2 weeks of being assessed by the pharmacist. After the physiotherapy assessment session, participants who are diagnosed with symptomatic knee OA will be offered 1) up to 5 individual physiotherapy sessions within a 6-week period, or 2) the GLA:D program for knee OA which includes 6-weeks of neuromuscular exercises along with 2 education session in a group format.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: University of Alberta

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov