Team Approach: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

» Osteoarthritis of the hip and knee is common and contributes substantially to the global burden of disability, comorbid disease, and health-care expenditure. » Osteoarthritis is traditionally managed with nonoperative and operative interventions that demonstrate substantial variations in costs, utilization, and access to care. The provision of these treatments by a range of health-care professionals lends itself to a coordinated, multidisciplinary team approach. » This review characterizes a team approach in the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis from a systems perspective, describes an integrated care delivery model targeting lower-extremity joint pain, and illustrates this model’s functionality with the case of a 69-year-old overweight man with severe bilateral knee osteoarthritis and depression. » A comprehensive team approach involves multiple disciplines that are fully accountable and responsive to the needs, preferences, and values of patients over the full episode of care. » Future studies should assess, for individuals with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee, the impact of different team approaches and models of care on health outcomes, health-care spending, and utilization.