DigiOA
Digital Osteoarthritis Treatment
Project manager
PhD fellow
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Information and exercise are recommended treatments for patients with osteoarthritis. In the project "Digital Osteoarthritis Treatment" we want to investigate through a randomized controlled trial whether following an individually adapted exercise program on a mobile app is as effective as regular follow-up with a physiotherapist.
A mobile solution can help increase the availability of treatment, as treatment can be provided regardless of geographical distance. Mobile solutions also provide greater freedom of choice for patients, as they can, for example, exercise whenever they want throughout the day, and are not tied to a time to see a therapist. The hope is that the increased access and freedom of choice through the app will lead to better compliance with recommended exercise.
Part of the project is also to find characteristics of the patients who have the greatest effect from using the app. In this way, it can help physiotherapists more easily identify which patients can manage to follow up on their training through an app, and who have a greater need for physical follow-up with a therapist.
WHO CAN JOIN?
Patients over 18 years of age with osteoarthritis of the hip and/or knee, who seek treatment at one of the participating physiotherapy institutes, can participate in the study. For an overview of which institutes are participating, please contact the PhD candidate.
Recruitment of participants for the study is ongoing.
WHAT DOES THE STUDY INVOLVE?
All patients receive 1-2 hours of education about osteoarthritis from a physiotherapist, with information about, among other things, symptoms, disease progression, exercise, self-help techniques and dietary advice. After education, they are randomly assigned to either standard treatment, with follow-up twice a week for 6 weeks with a physiotherapist, or an app group, which receives an individually adapted 6-week training program on the VirtuellTrening app. The patients complete testing with a physiotherapist at the start and at the end of the 6-week follow-up. At the start, end and 12 weeks after the end, they also answer a questionnaire that contains questions about pain, function, disease activity, physical activity level, quality of life, compliance with exercise and health service and medication consumption.