Scoring of arthritis best practices for 3 case scenarios [moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA), early and late rheumatoid arthritis (RA)].
| Best Practices | Moderate Knee OA | Early RA | Late RA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Provided education or educational materials or contacts for further information (e.g., support groups, The Arthritis Society, Arthritis Society help line (1 800 line) or website, Arthritis Self Management Program) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Exercise/PT | Provided or recommended exercise or physical activity or referred to an exercise program or to a physiotherapist | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Joint protection/OT/assistive devices | Provided instruction in joint protection or energy conservation techniques or recommended or referred to an occupational therapist. Provided a device or recommended or referred to rehabilitation specialist for assistive devices (e.g., canes, crutches, or walkers to improve ambulation) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SW/social support | Inquired about or discussed social support and coping strategies, provided or recommended or referred to a social worker/psychologist, psychiatrist, or mental health worker/counselor | 1 | 1 | |
| Weight management | Provided information on maintaining a healthy weight, healthy eating, nutrition, or assessed body mass index/waist circumference/weight | 1 | ||
| Analgesics | Prescribed or recommended or referred for analgesics (e.g., acetaminophen, glucosamine, capsaicin cream, acupuncture) | 1 | ||
| NSAID | Considered, prescribed, or referred for nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID), advancing to higher doses as necessary | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Intraarticular injections | Considered, prescribed, or referred for intraarticular corticosteroids or hyaluronans | 1 | ||
| Rheumatology referral | Discussed or considered or made a referral to an arthritis specialist (rheumatologist, internist) | 1 | 1 | |
| DMARD | Discussed or recommended or prescribed or referred for a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) | 1 | 1 | |
| Orthopedics | Discussed or considered or made a referral to an orthopedic surgeon | 1 | 1 | |
| Total points | 8 | 7 | 8 |
PT: physical therapy; OT: occupational therapy; SW: social worker; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; DMARD: disease modifying antirheumatic drugs.