Demographic and clinical characteristics of primary and secondary care patients with osteoarthritis of hip and knee are quite similar.

Purpose: As is stated in many guidelines for patients with osteoarthritis, it is advised to treat patients conservatively before patients are referred to secondary care. Therefore, it can be expected that secondary care patietns with osteoarthritis differ from primary care patients. The purpose of the current study is to compare demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with osteoarthritis who are referred to primary care physiotherapists and patients who are referred to secondary care. Methods: In a cross-sectional study secondary analyses were performed on two cohorts of patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis: one primary care dataset (n=200) and one secondary care dataset (n=279). In both studies comparable measurements were performed at baseline in the same time period. Measurements included, among others, gender, age, location and duration of osteoarthritis, number of comorbidities, pain (VAS), physical function (WOMAC), muscle strength, range of motion, social support and quality of life. Results: Both groups were similar in most characteristics, with some exceptions. The primary care group consisted of less patients with both hip and knee osteoarthritis and of younger patients compared to the secondary care group. Furthermore, secondary care patients reported more pain (4.0 versus 4.8), less muscle strength and more falls in the last six months. Conclusions: There are differences between primary and secondary care populations of patients with osteoarthritis, but these differences are minimal. Looking at the results of this research, the question arises whether the health care of patients with osteoarthritis can be organised more efficient and less expensive. However, long-term prospective studies are needed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of both primary and secondary care of patients with osteoarthritis. (aut. ref.