Incidence of hand and wrist disorders in primary care.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of different types of hand and wrist disorders in primary care is unknown since there are no specific encodings for it. AIMS: To determine the overall incidence and the incidence of specific types of hand and wrist disorders in primary care. DESIGN & SETTING: A healthcare registration database from Dutch general practice, which contains medical records of over 200 000 patients and included approximately 25% of the population of the area of Rotterdam. METHOD: Patients aged ≥18 years with a new diagnosis of hand or wrist disorder from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019 were extracted using a search algorithm based on ICPC coding and search terms in free text. RESULTS: The mean incidence over the study period of a hand disorder was 5.9 per 1,000 persons-years and of a wrist disorder 0.3 per 1,000 persons-years. The incidence of trigger finger/thumb, fracture hand/finger, tendon/ligament tendinopathy, mallet finger and ligament injury hand/finger were 3 (2.69-3.15), 1 (1.03-1.33), 1 (0.98-1.28), 0.6 (0.48-0.69) and 0.1 (0.06-0.14) per 1,000 persons-years, respectively. The incidence of a wrist fracture and ligament injury were 0.2 (0.13-0.25) and 0.1 (0.04-0.12) per 1,000 persons-years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is a large difference between the number of patients presenting to the GP with hand and wrist complaints and the number of hand and wrist diagnosis reported in the medical files. Introducing specific ICPC codes for different types of hand and wrist disorders could (potentially) lead to a more accurate registration of a diagnosis and determination of the incidence figures.

Cohort profile: Worldwide Collaboration on OsteoArthritis prediCtion for the Hip (World COACH) - an international consortium of prospective cohort studies with individual participant data on hip osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of pain and disability worldwide. Lack of effective therapies may reflect poor knowledge on its aetiology and risk factors, and result in the management of end-stage hip OA with costly joint replacement. The Worldwide Collaboration on OsteoArthritis prediCtion for the Hip (World COACH) consortium was established to pool and harmonise individual participant data from prospective cohort studies. The consortium aims to better understand determinants and risk factors for the development and progression of hip OA, to optimise and automate methods for (imaging) analysis, and to develop a personalised prediction model for hip OA. PARTICIPANTS: World COACH aimed to include participants of prospective cohort studies with ≥200 participants, that have hip imaging data available from at least 2 time points at least 4 years apart. All individual participant data, including clinical data, imaging (data), biochemical markers, questionnaires and genetic data, were collected and pooled into a single, individual-level database. FINDINGS TO DATE: World COACH currently consists of 9 cohorts, with 38 021 participants aged 18-80 years at baseline. Overall, 71% of the participants were women and mean baseline age was 65.3±8.6 years. Over 34 000 participants had baseline pelvic radiographs available, and over 22 000 had an additional pelvic radiograph after 8-12 years of follow-up. Even longer radiographic follow-up (15-25 years) is available for over 6000 of these participants. FUTURE PLANS: The World COACH consortium offers unique opportunities for studies on the relationship between determinants/risk factors and the development or progression of hip OA, by using harmonised data on clinical findings, imaging, biomarkers, genetics and lifestyle. This provides a unique opportunity to develop a personalised hip OA risk prediction model and to optimise methods for imaging analysis of the hip.

Corrigendum to "Effect of exercise therapy in patients with hip osteoarthritis: A systematic review and cumulative meta-analysis" [Osteoarthr Cartil Open 5 (2023) 100338].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ocarto.2023.100338.].

Exercise for knee osteoarthritis pain: Association or causation?

Exercise is universally recommended as a primary strategy for the management of knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain. The recommendations are based on results from more than 100 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compare exercise to no-attention control groups. However, due to the inherent difficulties with adequate placebo control, participant blinding and the use of patient-reported outcomes, the existing RCT evidence is imperfect. To better understand the evidence used to support a causal relationship between exercise and knee OA pain relief, we examined the existing evidence through the Bradford Hill considerations for causation. The Bradford Hill considerations, first proposed in 1965 by Sir Austin Bradford Hill, provide a framework for assessment of possible causal relationships. There are 9 considerations by which the evidence is reviewed: Strength of association, Consistency, Specificity, Temporality, Biological Gradient (Dose-Response), Plausibility, Coherence, Experiment, and Analogy. Viewing the evidence from these 9 viewpoints did neither bring forward indisputable evidence for nor against the causal relationship between exercise and improved knee OA pain. Rather, we conclude that the current evidence is not sufficient to support claims about (lack of) causality. With our review, we hope to advance the continued global conversation about how to improve the evidence-based management of patients with knee OA.

Diagnostic tests recommended for the clinical assessment of patients with wrist complaints, an e-Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice for history-taking and physical examination in the evaluation of wrist complaints is limited. PURPOSE: To create a set of recommended diagnostic tests for the clinical assessment of patients with undifferentiated wrist complaints. STUDY DESIGN: An e-Delphi study, following the recommendations on conducting and reporting Delphi studies, was performed. METHODS: In this e-Delphi study, a national multidisciplinary panel of experts was invited to inventory diagnostic tests, based on several case scenarios, for the probability diagnosis in patients (age ≥18 years) with undifferentiated wrist complaints. Four case scenarios were constructed and presented to the expert panel members, which differed in age of the patient (35 vs 65 years), location (radial vs ulnar), and duration (6 vs 10 weeks) of the complaints. In consecutive rounds, the experts were asked to rate the importance of the inventoried diagnostic tests. Finally, experts were asked to rank recommended diagnostic tests for each case scenario. RESULTS: Merging all results, the following diagnostic tests were recommended for all case scenarios: ask whether a trauma has occurred, ask how the complaints can be provoked, ask about the localization of the complaints, assess active ranges of motion, assess the presence of swelling, assess the difference in swelling between the left and right, assess the deformities or changes in position of the wrist, and palpate at the point of greatest pain. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first scientific study where experts clinicians recommended diagnostic tests when assessing patients with undifferentiated wrist complaints, varying in age of the patient (35 vs 65 years), location (radial vs ulnar), and duration (6 vs 10 weeks).

Incidence and management of mallet finger in Dutch primary care: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A mallet finger (MF) is diagnosed clinically and can be managed in primary care. The actual incidence of MF and how it is managed in primary care is unknown. AIM: To determine the incidence of MF in primary care and to obtain estimates for the proportions of osseous and tendon MF. An additional aim was to gain insight into the management of patients diagnosed with MF in primary care. DESIGN & SETTING: A cohort study using a healthcare registration database from general practice in the Netherlands. METHOD: Patients aged ≥18 years with a new diagnosis of MF from 1 January 2015-31 December 2019 were selected using a search algorithm based on International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) coding. RESULTS: In total, 161 cases of MF were identified. The mean incidence was 0.58 per 1000 person-years. A radiograph was taken in 58% (n = 93) of cases; 23% (n = 37) of cases had an osseous MF. The most applied strategies were referral to secondary care (45%) or conservative treatment in GP practice (43%). Overall, 7% were referred to a paramedical professional. CONCLUSION: On average, a Dutch GP assesses ≥1 patient with MF per year. Since only a minimal number of patients required surgical treatment and a limited number of GPs requested radiography, the recommendation in the guidelines to perform radiography in all patients with MF should potentially be reconsidered. The purpose of requesting radiographs should not be to distinguish between a tendinogenic or osseous MF, but to assess whether there is a possible indication for surgery.

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of American College of Rheumatology, EULAR, and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Criteria Against Clinically Relevant Knee Osteoarthritis: Data From the CHECK Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the EULAR, American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) criteria by using clinical experts' diagnosis of clinically relevant knee osteoarthritis (OA) as the outcome of interest. METHODS: In a previous study, we recruited clinical experts to evaluate longitudinal (5-, 8-, and 10-year follow-up) clinical and radiographic data of symptomatic knees from the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee (CHECK) study for the presence or absence of clinically relevant OA. In the current study, ACR, EULAR, and NICE criteria were applied to the same 5-, 8-, and 10-year follow-up data; then a knee was diagnosed with OA if fulfilling the criteria at one of the three time points (F1), two of the time points (F2), or at all three time points (F3). Using clinically relevant OA as the reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the three criteria were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 539 participants for a total of 833 examined knees were included. Thirty-six percent of knees were diagnosed with clinically relevant OA by experts. Sixty-seven percent to 74% of the knees received the same diagnosis (OA or non-OA) by the three criteria sets for the different definitions (F1 to F3). EULAR consistently (F1 through F3) had the highest specificity, and NICE consistently had the highest sensitivity. CONCLUSION: The diagnoses only moderately overlapped among the three criteria sets. The EULAR criteria seemed to be more suitable for study enrollment (when aimed at recruiting clinically relevant OA knees), given the highest specificities. The NICE criteria, given the highest sensitivities, could be more useful for an initial diagnosis in clinical practice.

Pincer Morphology Is Not Associated With Hip Osteoarthritis Unless Hip Pain Is Present: Follow-Up Data From a Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between pincer morphology and radiographic hip osteoarthritis (RHOA) over 2, 5, 8, and 10 years' follow-up and to study the interaction between pincer morphology and pain. METHODS: Individuals from the prospective Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee study were drawn. Anteroposterior pelvic and false profile radiographs were obtained. Hips free of definite RHOA (Kellgren and Lawrence [KL] grade 0 or 1) at baseline were included. Pincer morphology was defined as a lateral or anterior center edge angle or both ≥40° at baseline. Incident RHOA was defined as KL ≥ 2 or total hip replacement at follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression with generalized estimating equations estimated the associations at follow-up. Associations were expressed as unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) and adjusted ORs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). An interaction term was added to investigate whether pincer morphology had a different effect on symptomatic hips. RESULTS: Incident RHOA developed in 69 hips (5%) at 2 years' follow-up, in 178 hips (14%) at 5 years' follow-up, in 279 hips (24%) at 8 years' follow-up, and in 495 hips (42%) at 10 years' follow-up. No significant associations were found between pincer morphology and incident RHOA (adjusted OR 0.35 [95% CI 0.06-2.15]; adjusted OR 1.50 [95% CI 0.94-2.38]). Significant interactions between pain and anterior pincer morphology in predicting incident RHOA were found at 5, 8, and 10 years' follow-up (OR 1.97 [95% CI 1.03-3.78]; OR 3.41 [95% CI 1.35-8.61]). CONCLUSION: No associations were found between radiographic pincer morphology and incident RHOA at any follow-up moment. Anteriorly located pincer morphology with hip pain, however, was significantly associated with incident RHOA. This highlights the importance of studying symptoms and hip morphology simultaneously.

The osteoarthritis prevention study (TOPS) - A randomized controlled trial of diet and exercise to prevent Knee Osteoarthritis: Design and rationale.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA), the leading cause of disability among adults, has no cure and is associated with significant comorbidities. The premise of this randomized clinical trial is that, in a population at risk, a 48-month program of dietary weight loss and exercise will result in less incident structural knee OA compared to control. Methods/design: The Osteoarthritis Prevention Study (TOPS) is a Phase III, assessor-blinded, 48-month, parallel 2 arm, multicenter randomized clinical trial designed to reduce the incidence of structural knee OA. The study objective is to assess the effects of a dietary weight loss, exercise, and weight-loss maintenance program in preventing the development of structural knee OA in females at risk for the disease. TOPS will recruit 1230 ambulatory, community dwelling females with obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) â€‹≥ â€‹30 â€‹kg/m2) and aged ≥50 years with no radiographic (Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≤1) and no magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of OA in the eligible knee, with no or infrequent knee pain. Incident structural knee OA (defined as tibiofemoral and/or patellofemoral OA on MRI) assessed at 48-months from intervention initiation using the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) is the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include knee pain, 6-min walk distance, health-related quality of life, knee joint loading during gait, inflammatory biomarkers, and self-efficacy. Cost effectiveness and budgetary impact analyses will determine the value and affordability of this intervention. Discussion: This study will assess the efficacy and cost effectiveness of a dietary weight loss, exercise, and weight-loss maintenance program designed to reduce incident knee OA. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05946044.

Hip dysplasia as risk factor for clinically relevant and radiographic hip osteoarthritis: 10-year results from the CHECK cohort.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate hip dysplasia as a risk factor for clinically relevant and incident radiographic hip osteoarthritis. METHODS: From a prospective cohort (CHECK) of 1002 middle-aged, new consulters for hip and/or knee pain, 468 hips (251 individuals) were selected based on hip pain, available lateral center edge angle (LCEA) and absence of definite radiographic hip OA (Kellgren and Lawrence grade (KL) <2) at baseline, as well as available follow-up measures. Clinically relevant hip OA was defined by an expert diagnosis based on clinical and radiographic data obtained between year 5-10 from baseline. Incident radiographic hip OA was defined by KL grade ≥2 or a total hip replacement at the 10-year follow-up. Associations between hip dysplasia (LCEA ≤20°) and outcomes were expressed in odds ratios (OR) adjusted for age, sex and BMI. RESULTS: At baseline, participants had a mean age of 55.5 years (SD 5.4), 88% were female and, on hip level, the prevalence of hip dysplasia was 3.6% (n = 17). After 10 years, hip dysplasia was associated with an increased risk for clinically relevant hip OA (OR 2.80 (95% CI 1.15, 6.79), but not for incident radiographic hip OA (OR 0.78 (95% CI 0.26, 2.30)). CONCLUSION: In the long term, baseline hip dysplasia was associated with an increased risk for clinically relevant hip OA, but not for incident radiographic hip OA. With this in mind, we suggest that future research investigating the link between hip dysplasia and OA strive to include a definition for OA that is clinically relevant.

Causal association between subtypes of osteoarthritis and common comorbidities: A Mendelian randomisation study.

Objective: To investigate the causal association between Osteoarthritis (OA) and five comorbidities: depression, tiredness, multisite chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gout. Design: This study used two-sample Mendelian Randomisation (MR). To select the OA genetic instruments, we used data from the largest recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of OA (GO Consortium), with a focus on OA of the knee (62,497 cases, 333,557 controls), hip (35,445 cases, 316,943 controls) and hand (20,901 cases, 282,881 controls). Genetic associations for comorbidities were selected from GWAS for depression (246,363 cases, 561,190 controls), tiredness (449,019 participants), multisite chronic pain (387,649 participants), IBS (53,400 cases, 433,201 controls) and gout (6543 cases, 456,390 controls). We performed a bidirectional MR analysis using the inverse variance weighted method, for both joint specific and overall OA. Results: Hip OA had a causal effect on multisite chronic pain (per unit change 0.02, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.04). Multisite chronic pain had a causal effect on knee (odd ratio (OR) 2.74, 95% CI 2.20 to 3.41), hip (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.54 to 2.92), hand (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.59 to 3.16) and overall OA (OR 2.44, 95% CI, 2.06 to 2.86). In addition, depression and tiredness had causal effects on knee and hand, but not hip, OA. Conclusions: Apart from Hip OA to multisite chronic pain, other joint OA did not have causal effects on these comorbidities. In contrast, multisite chronic pain had a causal effect on any painful OA.

Arthritis Foundation/HSS Workshop on Hip Osteoarthritis, Part 1: Epidemiology, Early Development, and Cohorts From Around the World.

Far more publications are available for osteoarthritis of the knee than of the hip. Recognizing this research gap, the Arthritis Foundation, in partnership with the Hospital for Special Surgery, convened an in-person meeting of thought leaders to review the state of the science of and clinical approaches to hip osteoarthritis. This article summarizes the recommendations and clinical research gaps gleaned from 5 presentations given in the "how hip osteoarthritis begins" session of the 2023 Hip Osteoarthritis Clinical Studies Conference, which took place on February 17 and 18, 2023, in New York City.

Risk Factors and Population-Attributable Fractions for Incident Hip Osteoarthritis.

Background: Despite the huge burden of hip osteoarthritis (OA) and the lack of effective treatment, research into the primary prevention of hip OA is in its infancy. Purpose: We sought to evaluate risk factors for incident clinical and incident radiographic hip OA among middle-aged and older adults, to evaluate the importance of risk factors from a preventive perspective, and to estimate the percentage of new cases attributable to these risk factors. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from the Rotterdam study, an open-population cohort study of individuals aged 55 years or older. Data including baseline age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, education level, diagnosis of diabetes, C-reactive protein (CRP), cam morphology, acetabular dysplasia, radiographic thumb OA, radiographic hip OA, and hip pain were assessed for their association with incident clinical hip OA and incident radiographic hip OA separately, after 11 years of follow-up. The population-attributable fractions (PAFs) of statistically significant modifiable risk factors were calculated, as well. Results: New onset of clinical hip OA was seen in 19.9% (544 of 2729) and incident radiographic hip OA in 9.9% (329 of 3309). Female sex, education level below average (PAF 21.4%), and radiographic hip OA (PAF 3.4%) were statistically significantly associated with incident clinical hip OA. Female sex, age, overweight (PAF 20.0%), cam morphology (PAF 7.9%), acetabular dysplasia (PAF 3.6%), and radiographic thumb OA (PAF 4.7%) were statistically significantly associated with radiographic hip OA. Conclusions: Our retrospective analysis suggests that, from a primary prevention perspective, the most important modifiable risk factors among middle-aged and older individuals may be low educational level for incident clinical hip OA and overweight for incident radiographic hip OA. Further study is warranted.

Cam morphology is strongly and consistently associated with development of radiographic hip osteoarthritis throughout 4 follow-up visits within 10 years.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between cam morphology and the development of radiographic hip osteoarthritis (RHOA) at four time points within 10-year follow-up. DESIGN: The nationwide prospective Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee study includes 1002 participants aged 45-65 years with 2-, 5-, 8-, and 10-year follow-ups. The associations of cam morphology (alpha angle >60°) and large cam morphology (alpha angle >78°) in hips free of osteoarthritis at baseline (Kellgren & Lawrence (KL) grade <2) with the development of both incident RHOA (KL grade≥2) and end-stage RHOA (KL grade≥3) were estimated using logistic regression with generalized estimating equation at each follow-up and using Cox regression over 10 years, adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. RESULTS: Both cam morphology and large cam morphology were associated with the development of incident RHOA at all follow-ups with adjusted Odd Ratios (aORs) ranging from 2.7 (95% Confidence interval 1.8-4.1) to 2.9 (95% CI 2.0-4.4) for cam morphology and ranging from 2.5 (95% CI 1.5-4.3) to 4.2 (95% CI 2.2-8.3) for large cam morphology. For end-stage RHOA, cam morphology resulted in aORs ranging from 4.9 (95% CI 1.8-13.2) to 8.5 (95% CI 1.1-64.4), and aORs for large cam morphology ranged from 6.7 (95% CI 3.1-14.7) to 12.7 (95% CI 1.9-84.4). CONCLUSIONS: Cam morphology poses the hip at 2-13 times increased odds for developing RHOA within a 10-year follow-up. The association was particularly strong for large cam morphology and end-stage RHOA, while the strength of association was consistent over time.

Factors associated with meniscus volume in knees free of degenerative features.

OBJECTIVES: To explore factors that were associated with meniscus volume in knees free of radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) features and symptoms of OA. METHODS: In the third Rotterdam Study cohort, clinical, radiographic, and magnetic resonance data were obtained at baseline (BL) and after 5 years of follow-up. Meniscus volumes and their change over time were calculated after semi-automatic segmentation on Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Knees with radiographic OA features (Kellgren and Lawrence>0) or clinical diagnosis of OA (American College of Rheumatology) at BL were excluded. Ten OA risk factors were adjusted in the multivariable analysis (generalized estimating equations), treating two knees within subjects as repeated measurements. RESULTS: From 1065 knees (570 subjects), the average (standard deviation) age and Body mass index (BMI) of included subjects were 54.3 (3.7) years and 26.5 (4.4) kg/m2. At BL, nine factors (varus alignment, higher BMI, meniscus pathologies, meniscus extrusion, cartilage lesions, injury, greater physical activity level, quadriceps muscle strength, and higher age) were significantly associated with greater meniscus volume. Five factors (injury, meniscus pathologies, meniscus extrusion, higher age, and change of BMI) were significantly associated with meniscus volume loss. CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable factors (varus alignment, BMI, physical activity level, and quadriceps muscle strength) and non-modifiable factors (higher age, injury, meniscus pathologies, meniscus extrusion, and cartilage lesions) were all associated with meniscus volume or meniscus volume loss over time.

Mechanisms of action of therapeutic exercise for knee and hip OA remain a black box phenomenon: an individual patient data mediation study with the OA Trial Bank.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate mediating factors for the effect of therapeutic exercise on pain and physical function in people with knee/hip osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: For Subgrouping and TargetEd Exercise pRogrammes for knee and hip OsteoArthritis (STEER OA), individual participant data (IPD) were sought from all published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing therapeutic exercise to non-exercise controls in people with knee/hip OA. Using the Counterfactual framework, the effect of the exercise intervention and the percentage mediated through each potential mediator (muscle strength, proprioception and range of motion (ROM)) for knee OA and muscle strength for hip OA were determined. RESULTS: Data from 12 of 31 RCTs of STEER OA (1407 participants) were available. Within the IPD data sets, there were generally statistically significant effects from therapeutic exercise for pain and physical function in comparison to non-exercise controls. Of all potential mediators, only the change in knee extension strength was statistically and significantly associated with the change in pain in knee OA (ß -0.03 (95% CI -0.05 to -0.01), 2.3% mediated) and with physical function in knee OA (ß -0.02 (95% CI -0.04 to -0.00), 2.0% mediated) and hip OA (ß -0.03 (95% CI -0.07 to -0.00), no mediation). CONCLUSIONS: This first IPD mediation analysis of this scale revealed that in people with knee OA, knee extension strength only mediated ±2% of the effect of therapeutic exercise on pain and physical function. ROM and proprioception did not mediate changes in outcomes, nor did knee extension strength in people with hip OA. As 98% of the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise compared with non-exercise controls remains unexplained, more needs to be done to understand the underlying mechanisms of actions.

Comorbidity in incident osteoarthritis cases and matched controls using electronic health record data.

BACKGROUND: Comorbidities are common in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to determine the association of a wide range of previously diagnosed comorbidities in adults with newly diagnosed OA compared with matched controls without OA. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted. The data were derived from an electronic health record database that contains the medical records of patients from general practices throughout the Netherlands. Incident OA cases were defined as patients with one or more diagnostic codes recorded in their medical records that correspond to knee, hip, or other/peripheral OA. Additionally, the first OA code had to be recorded between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2019. The date of cases' first OA diagnosis was defined as the index date. Cases were matched (by age, sex, and general practice) to up to 4 controls without a recorded OA diagnosis. Odds ratios were derived for each 58 comorbidities separately by dividing the comorbidity prevalence of cases by that of their matched controls at the index date. RESULTS: 80,099 incident OA patients were identified of whom 79,937 (99.8%) were successfully matched with 318,206 controls. OA cases had higher odds for 42 of the 58 studied comorbidities compared with matched controls. Musculoskeletal diseases and obesity showed large associations with incident OA. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the comorbidities under study had higher odds in patients with incident OA at the index date. While previously known associations were confirmed in this study, some associations were not described earlier.

[Musculoskeletal injections during the GP residency; deliberations of GP residents on the administration of musculoskeletal injections]. / Musculoskeletale injecties in de huisartsopleiding.

OBJECTIVE: Musculoskeletal injections can alleviate pain in certain problems of the musculoskeletal system. A significant part of general practitioners (GPs) does not feel competent to administer these injections while it is also known that medical residents of several specialties lack confidence in surgical and other technical skills. However, it is not known whether GP residents feel competent in these skills at the end of their residency and which factors are associated with this self-assessed competence. METHOD: To find out how GP residents think about musculoskeletal injections, twenty Dutch GP residents were interviewed in their final year using semi-structured interview techniques. These interviews were analyzed using template analysis. RESULTS: GP residents often experience a certain reluctance in the administration of musculoskeletal injections even though they mostly find that these injections do belong in primary care. The most named barriers are a low self-assessed competence and fear of septic arthritis, while other factors relate to the resident (confidence, coping style, and views on the specialty), the supervisor (their attitude), the patient (their situation and preferences), the injection (feasibility and estimated effectiveness) and the practice organization (office hours). CONCLUSION: GP residents consider many factors in their decision to administer musculoskeletal injections, most importantly their own competence and a fear of complications. Medical departments can help their residents through education on the decision-making process and the risks of certain interventions and provide opportunities to improve specific technical skills.

Imaging of early-stage osteoarthritis: the needs and challenges for diagnosis and classification.

In an effort to boost the development of new management strategies for OA, there is currently a shift in focus towards the diagnosis and treatment of early-stage OA. It is important to distinguish diagnosis from classification of early-stage OA. Diagnosis takes place in clinical practice, whereas classification is a process to stratify participants with OA in clinical research. For both purposes, there is an important opportunity for imaging, especially with MRI. The needs and challenges differ for early-stage OA diagnosis versus classification. Although it fulfils the need of high sensitivity and specificity for making a correct diagnosis, implementation of MRI in clinical practice is challenged by long acquisition times and high costs. For classification in clinical research, more advanced MRI protocols can be applied, such as quantitative, contrast-enhanced, or hybrid techniques, as well as advanced image analysis methods including 3D morphometric assessments of joint tissues and artificial intelligence approaches. It is necessary to follow a step-wise and structured approach that comprises, technical validation, biological validation, clinical validation, qualification, and cost-effectiveness, before new imaging biomarkers can be implemented in clinical practice or clinical research.