THE SWEDISH OSTEOARTHRITIS REGISTRY. TRENDS IN SWEDISH OSTEOARTHRITIS HEALTH CARE BETWEEN 2008- 2021

ABSTRACT

BackgroundIn 2012 the Swedish national guidelines for osteoarthritis (OA) were published. The guidelines implicit that all patients with OA should obtain information and supervised exercise as first-line intervention and that OA is a clinical, not radiological diagnosis. The Swedish OA registry contains data which measure compliance to the guidelines since 2008 [2].ObjectivesTo describe the trends over time from 2008 to 2021 for patients who have received first-line interventions for hip and knee OA in Sweden and adherence of the healthcare staff to the national guidelines.MethodsDescriptive registry-based study including patients with hip or knee OA who participated in first-line interventions including education and exercise. Data were extracted from the Swedish OA registry between January 1st, 2008, and December 31, 2021. The registry contains patient-reported outcomes and physiotherapist-reported outcomes. In this study the following physiotherapist-reported outcomes were described over time radiological examination before first-line intervention, if the first-line intervention was given the first time the patient seek health care caused of OA, which explanation patients had been given about their disease, intake of painkillers before the start of first-line intervention and the percent who got supervised exercise >10 times according to the guidelines of OA in Sweden. The following patient-reported outcomes were described over time mean BMI at the first visit, and mean age at the first visit. To be included in the study, participants had to meet the following criteria i) clinical diagnosis of OA, with hip or knee OA as the most symptomatic joint, ii) provided 3-month follow-up.ResultsA total of 175 764 participants with hip or knee OA were included in the study.The trends from 2008-2021 showed that the proportion of patients who had a radiological examination before entering the first-line intervention decreased from 97 % to 65 % in men and from 95% to 62 % in women. The proportion of patients who get assess to first-line intervention the first time they seek for their symptoms increased from 4 % to 10 % both in men and women. People that get the correct information about OA increased from 15% to 40 %, and patients that get the explanation that OA was a tear and wear disease decreased from 30 % to 5%. The mean BMI (28) is unchanged over time. The mean age increased from 64 years to 67 years between 2008-2020 but decreased during the covid-19 pandemic to 64 years. The percentage that was given supervised exercise more than 10 times was constant between 2012-2020 at 30 % but decreased during the covid-19 pandemic to 20%.ConclusionThe results implicit that the implementation of a supported OA self-management program in Sweden has been successful and changed the care given to patients with OA in Sweden. However, the national guidelines for OA, have still not been fully implemented. We need to keep implementing the guidelines so all patients with OA get the first-line intervention at the right time.References[1]Anon. (2012). Nationella riktlinjer för rörelseorganens sjukdomar 2012 - stöd för styrning och ledning. Socialstyrelsen.[2]Thorstensson CA, Garellick G, Rystedt H, Dahlberg LE. Better Management of Patients with Osteoarthritis Development and Nationwide Implementation of an Evidence-Based Supported Osteoarthritis Self-Management Programme. Musculoskeletal Care. 2015 Jun;13(2)67-75. doi 10.1002/msc.1085. Epub 2014 Oct 24. PMID 25345913.AcknowledgementsNIL.Disclosure of InterestsNone Declared.