Development of a Model of Care for Osteoarthritis in Primary Care in Ireland- A mixed methods study

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in Ireland. It is a condition of the joints that can cause pain and reduced mobility. It is more common in people over the age of 50 and often affects the knee and hip joints. This project aims to improve the care of people with osteoarthritis who attend their general practitioner (GP) by developing a "model of care". The model will map out what services and supports a person who visits their GP might need and will include treatments that are known to help people with osteoarthritis, including education, exercise and advice on weight-management.

By developing this model, this research aims to support people with osteoarthritis in a primary care setting and avoid unnecessary use of hospital-based services. In this way, the model aims to provide quality care to the person with osteoarthritis and it will also help the health system manage resources better. To do this a multidisciplinary team of researchers will firstly find out which models around the world are being used and how effective they are both for the patient and for the health service. We will then ask people with osteoarthritis, GPs and other primary care team members their opinions on how osteoarthritis is currently managed and how it should ideally be managed in primary care in Ireland. We will use that information to develop a model of care which we will test in three GP practices with patients who attend mainly because of arthritis. Afterwards, we will ask the GPs and patients what they thought about the model and fine-tune it to make it more useful.

Award Date

27 June 2019

Award Value

€365,885.77

Principal Investigator

Dr Helen French

Host Institution

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Scheme

Investigator Led Projects