Supporting Independence Through Exercise and Education: Effects on Self-Management Confidence in Upper Extremity Arthritis

Importance: Upper extremity arthritis is a primary cause of disability in adults characterized by symptoms such as pain, inflammation, decreased grip strength, functional decline, and deformity. Objective: To develop and implement a home-based exercise and education program for individuals with upper extremity arthritis and evaluate its effectiveness on symptom management confidence and functional independence using surveys and a standardized assessment. Design: Pretest-posttest intervention. Setting: Outpatient clinic. Participants: Two participant groups were enrolled using convenience sampling: six therapists employed at the clinic, and nine adults with diagnosed arthritis affecting one or more major joints of the upper extremity receiving care at the study site. Intervention: The patient group participated in a four-week home-based exercise and education program for upper extremity arthritis. Outcomes and Measures: Program feasibility was assessed using post-program surveys. Perceived self-management confidence was measured using the Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) pre- and post-intervention. Results: Survey results demonstrated high levels of program usability, satisfaction, and perceived benefit among both patients and therapists with participants reporting improved self-management confidence and functional performance. Despite the lack of statistical significance, descriptive statistics indicated improvements across all ASES subscales, including pain, function, and other symptoms. Conclusions and Relevance: The program demonstrated good feasibility and satisfaction, with improvements noted in self-management confidence despite lack of statistical significance. These findings suggest that this approach may support symptom management and functional independence in occupational therapy practice.