Extract

Background and study aims Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It occurs when the protective cartilage on the end of bones wears away, causing the bones to rub against one another, which can cause stiffness, pain and a reduction in a person’s range of movement. The physical symptoms can greatly reduce quality of life in sufferers, even leading to social isolation. The government has highlighted the need for individuals to manage their long-term condition themselves by providing the support for people to take care of their own health. There is evidence that ‘peer support’ can assist with improving management of long-term conditions. A peer mentor is usually someone who has the condition but has undergone training to be able to provide focused assistance and mentorship to someone who also has the condition. Peer mentorship appears to work well with supporting individuals with other conditions such as diabetes and in mental health but it hasn’t been developed or tested for individuals with osteoarthritis, only for inflammatory arthritis. The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate the feasibility of a peer support model (OA mentor) to improve self-management of individuals with OA. Who can participate? Adults aged 55 and over who have confirmed OA of the knee or hip. What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in the first group receive an information booklet, and a researcher will visit the participants to guide them through this which provides useful tips on how to manage the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Those in the second group receive weekly visits for eight weeks from a trained volunteer (known as a ‘peer mentor’) who works with participants to help them manage their osteoarthritis more effectively. This involves visiting the participant at home for up to one hour each week over eight weeks. For whichever type of support the participants receive, a questionnaire is completed to collect information about length of time with OA, medication, pain, mobility, mood and quality of life initially, at eight weeks and then again six months later. The participants are visited by a member of the research team for questionnaire completion at eight weeks; and at six months the participants receive the questionnaire by post to complete. In order to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the peer mentor programme, a sample of participants take part in face to face interviews six months after the end of the study. In addition, a selection of the peer mentors are also interviewed after delivering the eight week programme. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Participants may find that there are no direct benefits to taking part in this research. However, this research will be helping to try out these different types of support and to see whether these are of any benefit. If it is found that one type of support is showing positive benefits over the other, it will be the intention to develop this further to see what exactly the benefits are in receiving the booklet as compared to having a volunteer mentor to support individuals with their osteoarthritis. There are no notable risks involved with participating. Where is the study run from? Chapel Allerton Hospital (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? May 2017 to January 2020 Who is funding the study? National Institute for Health Research (UK) Who is the main contact? Professor Gretl McHugh [email protected]

Inclusion criteria

• Specialty: Musculoskeletal disorders, Primary sub-specialty: Non-inflammatory Joint Disorders; UKCRC code/ Disease: Musculoskeletal/ Arthrosis

Links

• isrctn