OP0156 HPR THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF TELEMEDICINE FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS IN DISEASE MANAGEMENT: A RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIAL

Abstract

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a serious health concern worldwide, and patients with OA are in urgent need of proper long-term disease management to prevent disability and improve the quality of life. Research has started to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of telemedicine in providing disease management for patients with chronic diseases. Guangdong Online Hospital (GOH) is the first officially recognized web-based hospital that widely provides telemedicine services in southern China. Objectives This study aimed to establish the feasibility and effectiveness of GOH in providing long-term disease management for patients with knee OA via a 6-month, randomised control trial (RCT). Methods 40 patients with knee OA were randomly assigned to receive conventional therapy (CT) in the clinic or conventional therapy plus a brief GOH-based intervention (CT-GOHT). GOH-based intervention included educational lectures, medical suggestions and psychotherapy. The primary outcome was the drop-out rates and the secondary outcomes included the mean change of the self-reported total score of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) from baseline to endpoint. ![Figure 1][1] Figure 1 Flow chat of trial participation ![Figure 2][1] Figure 2 A telemedicine intervention to patients with knee OA Results The baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. 3 patients in CT group and 1 patient in CT-GOHT group lost to follow-up during the study ( P = 0.598). A statistically significant difference was observed in the mean change of WOMAC recommended index of joint pain (8.82 ± 5.02 vs. 13.90 ± 7.63, P = 0.026), morning stiffness (3.12 ± 1.50 vs. 4.42 ± 2.06, P = 0.039), functional limitation (27.65 ± 9.91 vs. 38.84 ± 17.28, P = 0.025), HADS-Anxiety (3.24 ± 2.41 vs. 5.32 ± 3.23, P = 0.037), and PSQI global score (2.35 ± 1.54 vs. 4.21 ± 3.34, P = 0.043) from baseline to endpoint when comparing the CT group to the CT-GOHT group. In addition, Guangdong Online Hospital was widely accepted by the including OA patients for their disease management. Conclusion Delivering a telemedicine intervention to patients with knee OA via GOH is a feasible and potentially effective method in long-term disease management, especially for patients living in remote areas. The results provide preliminary experiences and guidance for an upcoming full-scale RCT in disease management via telemedicine. Trial registration ChiCTR1800014465. Reference [1] Huang Z, et al. Implementation of telemedicine for knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 2018, 19(1):232. View this table: Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the two study groups View this table: Table 2 Mean change of outcome measures from baseline to endpoint Disclosure of Interests None declared [1]: pending:yes