NCT03102788

Task Shifting in the Care for Patients With Hand Osteoarthritis

Task Shifting in the Care for Patients With Hand Osteoarthritis: May the First Consultation in Specialist Health Care be Performed by an Occupational Therapy Specialist?

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 400 (actual)
• Sponsor: National Resource Center for Rehabilitation in Rheumatology · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 100 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The main aim in this randomized controlled trial is to improve access to safe and effective care, professional practice and cost-effective utilisation of health care resources by testing if occupational therapist-led care is as effective and safe as rheumatologist-led care for people with hand osteoarthritis.

Detailed description

Hand osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal conditions in an adult population, and may have large influences on an individual's function, health related quality of life, and participation in the society. In the absence of disease-modifying interventions, occupational therapy, comprising information, hand exercises, assistive devices and orthoses/splints, is considered as core treatment. In Norway, people with hand osteoarthritis are increasingly referred to consultation by a rheumatologist in specialist health care. At the same time a shortage of rheumatologists nationwide is stressing the healthcare system's capacity, and rheumatologists time should therefore primarily be allocated to patients in which early diagnosis and medical treatment are essential. The World Health Organization recommend task-shifting as one method of strengthening and expanding the health workforce. Such models rely on other healthcare providers in expanded clinical roles, where physiotherapists, nurses or occupational therapists working in collaboration with physicians and other team members have their own patients for whom they provide health care services. In this randomized controlled trial, we will test if a new model, where patients referred to consultation in specialist health care receive their first consultation by an occupational therapy specialist, is as safe and effective as the traditional model, where they receive their first consultation by a rheumatologist.

Conditions

• Osteoarthritis Both Hands

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Rheumatologist-led care.	Rheumatologist-led care comprises confirmation of diagnosis, information about hand osteoarthritis and symptom modifying medication, and, for some patients, Intra-articular injection of long-acting Corticosteroid. The rheumatologist may also refer participants to occupational therapy if needed.
BEHAVIORAL	Occupational therapist-led care.	Occupational therapist-led care comprises confirmation of diagnosis, information about hand osteoarthritis and symptom modifying medication, teaching of hand exercises and ergonomic working methods, and, for some patients, provision assistive devices and orthoses/splints. The occupational therapist will refer patients to a short rheumatologist consultation if confirmation of diagnosis or intra-articular injections of long-acting Corticosteroid are needed.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-09-14
• Primary completion: 2020-11-14
• Completion: 2020-11-14
• First posted: 2017-04-06
• Last updated: 2024-07-12

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: Norway