Patient preference is as sensitive as conventional measures for knee OA pain

Results from this study using data from two knee osteoarthritis trials suggest patient-preference instruments may detect treatment effects missed by conventional instruments.

Researchers used data on patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) from a trial on brace treatment for patellofemoral OA and a trial of intra-articular steroids for knee OA.

by Monica Jaramillo, Healio Rheumatology August 25, 2016

Patients rated their pain with the VAS, in the activity that caused the most knee pain (VASNA) and on the KOOS and WOMAC. Patients also answered questions about their overall knee pain. Investigators generated standardized changes for each outcome for the treatment and control after 6 weeks of intervention in the brace trial and at 1 week to 2 weeks after treatment in the steroid trial.

Results showed VASNA had standardized changes that at least as large as those of the other pain outcomes. Investigators noted the VASNA between-groups standardized change in the brace trial was -0.63, the change in the KOOS pain subscale was -0.33 and the VAS change was -0.56 in the last week. Following steroid treatment, the VASNA change was -0.60 compared to a VAS change of -0.51 in the last week and a change in the KOOS pain subscale of -0.58.

Source Healio Rheumatology

References

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Sensitivity to Change of Patient-Preference Measures for Pain in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Data From Two Trials, Parkes MJ, Callaghan MJ, O’Neill TW, Forsythe LM, Lunt M, Felson DT. (2016), Arthritis Care & Research, 68: 1224–1231. doi:10.1002/acr.22823

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