A Scoping Review of Joint Protection Programs for People with Hand Arthritis

Abstract

Background: Joint protection (JP) can be enhanced by incorporating recent evidence and innovations in collaboration with people with hand arthritis to be salient, useful and effectively implemented. Objective: The purpose of this study is to map the current research on JP principles and guide future research on JP programs for the management of hand arthritis. Results: Our search found 8,788 citations in which 231 articles were deemed relevant and after duplication 111 articles were retrieved for a full-text review. In total, 40 articles were eligible for data extraction. The majority of the articles were [19] randomized controlled trials (RCTs), [6] systematic reviews and [3] overviews of reviews that investigated joint protection for hand arthritis. Joint protection was tested mostly in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population and to a lesser extent on hand osteoarthritis and was provided mainly by an occupational therapist. Conclusion: This review synthesized and critically examined the scope of JP for the management of hand arthritis and found that RCTs, systematic reviews and overviews of reviews constituted two-thirds of the current body of literature. Furthermore, it identified a lack of clarity regarding the specific elements of joint protection programs used in clinical studies.