Knee Osteoarthritis: Use of investigations and non-operative management in the Australian primary care setting.

BackgroundOsteoarthritis affects 15% of Australians or around 3.2 millionpeople. This figure will rise owing to the ageing of theAustralian population. Over 38000 knee arthroplasties areperformed each year in Australia. There are limited resourcesfor arthroplasty and ever increasing numbers of patients withosteoarthritis of the knee that will ultimately require one. It istherefore important to promptly diagnose the condition andutilise simple, efficacious management options to alleviatesuffering for patients and the overburdened health system.Evaluation of current investigations and management incomparison with published guidelines is the first step.MethodNinety-five patients with 100 symptomatic knees referredfrom their GP with a provisional diagnosis of osteoarthritis,were surveyed on the investigations and management theyhad received prior to presentation. The results were thencompared with accepted clinical guidelines.ResultsThere is a disparity between the clinical guidelines and theresults of the survey from clinical practice. 27.5% of patientshad not undertaken the gold standard weight bearingradiograph prior to presentation. 6% of patients did not havea plain radiograph at all. Simple efficacious treatmentswith high levels of evidence such as physiotherapy andweight loss had only been utilised in 41% and 58%respectively. 55% had used glucosamine which is notrecommended in the guidelines.ConclusionA better awareness of the rationale for investigations byGPs and improved communication between specialistsand GPs can prevent duplication of resources andminimise the costs of investigations. Increased awarenessof the efficacy of simple treatment modalities canincrease their utilisation. Streamlining of investigation andmanagement requires a multidisciplinary approach andboth patient and service provider education.