Domains rated as important by patients with hand osteoarthritis
Funding information
This study was supported by the SingHealth Foundation Grant (SHF/FG549S/2011), and the Centre Grant of Singapore General Hospital (GGKATYLEUNG). YYL was supported by the National Medical Research Council, Singapore (NMRC/HSRG/0061/2016 and NMRC/CSA-INV/0022/2017).
Abstract
Background
No data exist on patient participation in the selection of core domains for clinical trials of hand osteoarthritis (HOA). We aim to explore HOA patients' perspectives in the relative importance of domains.
Methods
Seven domains affecting patients’ lives were derived from a prior qualitative study. We recruited consecutive patients with symptomatic HOA to rate on 11-point numeric rating scales for each domain, from 0 representing “not important at all” to 10 representing “most important”, with consideration in two scenarios: (a) how important the domains are in affecting their current lives; and (b) how important the domains are when there are treatments for HOA (eg exercise or drugs).
Results
Forty-five patients (91% female; mean age ± standard deviation 64.3 ± 7.5 years) with mild HOA symptoms were included. Of these, 31%-42% rated current impact of HOA in various domains as highly important. Seven domains with rated scores of ≥7/10 in importance were endorsed for clinical trials in the following order: pain and HOA symptoms (endorsed by 77.8% of patients), physical function (66.7%), ability to participate in social roles (64.4%), ability to participate in social activities (62.2%), work productivity (62.2%), emotional health (60%), and appearance of fingers (55.6%).
Conclusion
The preliminary important domains as endorsed by patients with HOA for inclusion into clinical trials were explored. Apart from pain and physical function, further research is needed to refine other domains of impact, such as participation, emotional health and aesthetic concerns, as core domain sets for HOA.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
