ABSTRACT

Purpose of the Study

Obesity is a major risk factor for development and worsening of osteoarthritis (OA). Managing obesity with effective weight loss strategies can improve patients’ OA symptoms, functionality, and quality of life. However, little is known about the clinical journey of patients with both OA and obesity. This study aimed to map the medical journey of patients with OA and obesity by characterizing the roles of health care providers, influential factors, and how treatment decisions are made.

Study Design

A cross-sectional study was completed with 304 patients diagnosed with OA and a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m² and 101 primary care physicians (PCPs) treating patients who have OA and obesity.

Results

Patients with OA and obesity self-manage their OA for an average of five years before seeking care from a healthcare provider, typically a PCP. Upon diagnosis, OA treatments were discussed; many (61%) patients reported also discussing weight/weight management. Despite most (74%) patients being at least somewhat interested in anti-obesity medication, few (13%) discussed this with their PCP. Few (12%) physicians think their patients are motivated to lose weight, but almost all (90%) patients have/are currently trying to lose weight. Another barrier to effective obesity management in patients with OA is the low utilization of clinical guidelines for OA and obesity management by PCPs.

Conclusions

As the care coordinator of patients with OA and obesity, PCPs have a key role in supporting their patients in the treatment journey; obesity management guidelines can be valuable resources.

中文翻译：

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肥胖和骨关节炎患者与初级保健医生之间的参与：一项横断面调查

摘要

这项研究的目的

肥胖是骨关节炎 (OA) 发展和恶化的主要危险因素。通过有效的减肥策略管理肥胖可以改善患者的 OA 症状、功能和生活质量。然而，对于 OA 和肥胖患者的临床历程知之甚少。本研究旨在通过描述医疗保健提供者的角色、影响因素以及如何制定治疗决策来绘制 OA 和肥胖患者的医疗历程。

学习规划

对 304 名诊断为 OA 且体重指数 (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m ²的患者和 101 名治疗 OA 和肥胖患者的初级保健医生 (PCP) 完成了一项横断面研究。

结果

在寻求医疗保健提供者（通常是 PCP）的护理之前，患有 OA 和肥胖症的患者平均自我管理 OA 五年。诊断后，讨论了 OA 治疗；许多 (61%) 患者报告还讨论了体重/体重管理。尽管大多数 (74%) 患者至少对抗肥胖药物有些兴趣，但很少 (13%) 与他们的 PCP 讨论过这个问题。很少 (12%) 的医生认为他们的患者有减肥的动力，但几乎所有 (90%) 的患者都已经/正在尝试减肥。OA 患者有效肥胖管理的另一个障碍是 PCP 对 OA 和肥胖管理的临床指南利用率低。

结论

作为 OA 和肥胖患者的护理协调员，PCP 在支持患者的治疗过程中发挥着关键作用；肥胖管理指南可能是宝贵的资源。