NOW UPDATED: Ontario Health’s Osteoarthritis: Care for Adults With Osteoarthritis of the Knee, Hip, Hand, or Shoulder quality standard (originally published in 2018) addresses care for adults
(18 years of age or older) with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, hand, or
shoulder. The quality standard focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, and management
of osteoarthritis for people across all health care settings and clinicians. It
provides guidance on nonpharmacological and pharmacological care. It covers
referral for consideration of joint surgery but does not address specific
surgical procedures. This quality standard does not apply to care for people
with osteoarthritis affecting the spine, other peripheral joints (i.e., elbow,
wrist, foot, ankle), or neck or low back pain. Similarly, this quality standard
also excludes people with inflammatory arthritis or medical conditions and
treatments that can lead to osteoarthritis.
This update aligns the quality standard with the most recent
clinical evidence and with current practice in Ontario. You may refer to page 6
of the
Osteoarthritis
quality standard for a summary of updates.
Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is a progressive
condition that can affect any moveable joint of the body but most commonly the
hips, knees, hands, and shoulders. Studies in various populations show that about
20% to 30% of adults have osteoarthritis in at least 1 of these joints. There
are significant gaps in the quality of care that people with osteoarthritis receive
in Ontario. As such, improving care for people with osteoarthritis is a
pressing issue. The quality standard includes
10 quality statements addressing areas that have high potential for improving
the quality of care in Ontario for people with osteoarthritis.
Below are some tools and resources that may help you
implement the Osteoarthritis quality statements in your practice, organized by
purpose. Many of these tools can be used to support multiple quality
statements.
Are there other tools or resources you use? Do you have
experience implementing these or other tools? If so, please share your thoughts
in the comments section below.
Comprehensive Resources Related to the Osteoarthritis
Quality Standard
- Osteoarthritis Tool: A tool from the Centre for Effective Practice to help primary care
providers identify symptoms and provide evidence-based nonpharmacological and
pharmacological management while identifying triggers for investigations or
referrals
Educational Resources for Clinicians
Tools and Resources to Support People With Osteoarthritis,
Their Families, and Their Care Partners
- Quality Standard Patient Guide: A resource from Ontario Health written in plain
language for people with osteoarthritis, their families, and their care
partners to better understand and manage their condition
- Arthritis Rehabilitation and Education Program: A program
by the Arthritis Society Canada that provides people with
arthritic/degenerative joints with self-management approaches and education
- Arthritis Society Canada: A support and education webpage that includes information and
resources related to accessing care, self-management, and advocacy to help
support individuals living with arthritis
- Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance: Provides a wide range of resources for people with
osteoarthritis such as how to
talk with your health care provider, and how to manage daily life, medications and treatments, and advocacy and policy
- NeuroNova Centre: A centre that offers mindfulness-based chronic pain management
courses (both in person and via telemedicine), and facilitator training courses
- Pain BC (British
Columbia) has several resources to support education and self-management,
including the following:
- LivePlanBe —a
website with resources and information dedicated to helping individuals manage their
chronic pain
- Pain BC Toolbox—pain management resources to help patients
cope with chronic pain
- Pain U Online: A self-management learning module about
chronic pain from the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute
- UnlockFood.ca (formerly EatRight Ontario): A website
that provides information on nutrition, food, and healthy eating, along with
recipes and interactive healthy eating tools and resources. Individuals can
also connect to a registered dietitian
Access to Local Programs and Supports
- GLA:D Canada: A community-based education and exercise
program for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis that helps people manage
their symptoms of pain and loss of function
- Online Self-Management Program: A program for chronic
illness (including chronic pain) available via online or in-person facilitated
workshop sessions throughout Ontario
- Rapid Access Clinics for Musculoskeletal Care: Information
about clinics that help patients with musculoskeletal conditions access care
quickly, focusing on hip and knee arthritis and certain types of low back pain
- thehealthline.ca:
An online resource to learn more about existing community-based therapeutic
exercise programs, physical activity programs, and resources available to
support patient education and self-management of osteoarthritis
Other Resources
Ontario Health has developed other quality standards and
patient guides on mental health and addictions and chronic conditions that may
be useful, including:
See Chronic Pain, Osteoarthritis, and Low Back Pain Quality Standards: Tools for Implementation for additional related tools and resources.