The osteoarthritis chronic care program (OACCP) at Canterbury Hospital commenced service in May 2020. We will be presenting data from the first 14 months of the service including patient demographics, changes in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Hip Disability Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS), biometrics and functional assessment.
Patients were eligible to join the OACCP if they were on the Canterbury Hospital joint replacement surgery (JRS) wait list for total hip or knee replacement, or a referral was received from an orthopaedic surgeon, rheumatologist or general practitioner for conservative care of knee and/or hip osteoarthritis. The primary aims of the program are to reduce pain, improve function and improve quality of life for program participants.
Participants are followed-up at 3-monthly intervals by the OACCP coordinator until their JRS takes place or once they have completed the 12 month program. All patients are reviewed by a rheumatologist and physiotherapist and other allied health professionals were involved as per individual patient requirements (psychologist, dietitian).
From May 2020 to June 2021 (inclusive), a total of 155 patients were assessed by the Canterbury OACCP. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, patients were initially reviewed via tele-health/video health only before transitioning to face-to-face consultations. Year 1 data shows one third of patients in the program reported significant improvement across most KOOS/HOOS domains after 3 months, while closer to 40-50% report significant improvements after 6 months.