[Evaluation of the adhesion to the EULAR and OARSI recommendations for the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis in current practice]

Abstract

Recommendations for the treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) have been recently published by international scientific societies (EULAR, OARSI). The aim of this study was to evaluate, in real life, the acceptance of these recommendations in the two districts of the Neuchâtel mountains. In March 2008, a questionnaire was sent to all the general practitioners (GP = 23), internists (IM = 22), orthopedic surgeons (ORTHO = 8) and rheumatologists (RHEUMATO = 3) of the districts of Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds (population of 55000 people). The anonymous questionnaire, presenting the 10 EULAR and 25 OARSI recommendations for the treatment of hip and knee OA, asked for some demographic data of the physicians and for the knowledge and acceptance of the presented recommendations. Results were expressed as a <<strength of acceptance>> (SoA), based on a semi-quantitative evaluation (15 to 55) and expressed in percent for comparison to the <<strength of recommendation>> (SoR) reported by EULAR and OARSI. Twenty-three questionnaires (41%) were returned. Seven of the ten GP, one of the six IM, one of the four ORTHO who responded and the three RHEUMATO knew and applied some of the EULAR recommendations. Only one GP, one ORTHO and one RHEUMATO knew the OARSI recommendations. The SoA was a little less for the primary care physicians (PCP = GP + IM) than for the specialists in the musculo-skeletal diseases (SMD = ORTHO + RHEUMATO) for the EULAR (85 versus 89%) and for the OARSI (73 versus 78%) recommendations. None of the EULAR or OARSI recommendations gained a full SoA by the PCP although two EULAR and one OARSI recommendations obtained a complete SoA by the SMD. In this sample of physicians, most IM and ORTHO ignored the EULAR and OARSI recommendations for the treatment of hip or knee OA. Nonetheless, a majority of PCP and SMD adhered to the most of them with occasionally a greater SoA than the proposed SoR. An effort for a better diffusion of these recommendations is justified among IM and ORTHO.