Feasibility of a Web-based, Peer-supported Exercise Program for Patients With Hip and/or Knee Osteoarthritis

Feasibility of a Web-based, Peer-supported Exercise Program for Patients With Hip and/or Knee Osteoarthritis

In this project, a web-based exercise program is developed in co-creation between specialized health care, the Norwegian Association for Rheumatic diseases (NRF) and a group of experienced patient representatives. The project emerges from the evidence that exercise is recommended as first-line treatment for patients with chronic diseases like hip- and knee-osteoarthritis (OA). However, the number of patients in need of targeted exercise will increase considerably the next decades, and their treatment needs cannot be fully handled within the health care system. Development of innovative and effective treatment trajectories and follow-up strategies is urgently required. Peer-support is recognized as an effective way to increase patients' long-term adherence to exercise. Thus, patient-organizations may be an unutilized resource in support and follow-up of patients who need long-term exercise as part of their treatment plan. After discharge from examination in hospital, patients with hip/knee OA will be recruited to follow-up in a novel web-based, peer-supported exercise program, and the feasibility of the intervention will be evaluated.

The study will be conducted as a pre-post single-arm feasibility study comprising 50 participants.

The main objective of the study will be to evaluate the feasibility of the web-based, peer-supported exercise intervention in patients with hip and/or knee OA.

Specific research objectives are:

• to assess feasibility of intervention delivery, data collection, eligibility and inclusion/exclusion criteria and intervention fidelity
• to assess the responsiveness of relevant primary and secondary outcome measures

In the feasibility study, all participants will be allocated to an intervention group, receiving a 12-week web-based, peer-supported aerobic exercise program including weekly motivational messages. Patients between 40 and 80 years of age that are not candidates for surgery will be recruited from Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

To assess and evaluate feasibility, we will report on descriptive statistics. Responsiveness will be assessed using Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analyses.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis being referred to Diakonhjemmet Hospital

Exclusion Criteria:

• candidate for surgery
• unable to understand or write Norwegian
• unable to walk unaided and continuously for 15 minutes
• absolute or relative contradictions to maximal exercise testing
• have relatives with sudden death before 40 years of age
• have first-degree relatives with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy