MUSCULOSKELETAL
MATTERS
Ar thritis Research UK Prim
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Keele U
Bulletin 3:
PATIENT EXPERIENCES
• Understanding people’s experiences of living with musculoskeletal
pain can help with providing effective care and support in general
practice.
• The patient’s view can be explored by using qualitative research
methods, for example in interview studies, focus group meetings, or
diary studies.
• This bulletin reports on how patients’ experiences have been
incorporated into a Guidebook on Osteoarthritis (OA), and also on two
recent qualitative studies at Keele.
Development of an Osteoarthritis Guidebook
These bulletins are
designed to provide
information for general
practitioners, the primary
care team, teachers,
trainers and policy makers
about musculoskeletal
problems in practice
People who have osteoarthritis (OA) and health care professionals who
treat and/or research it have
helped to develop a guidebook
on OA. The guidebook, which
includes both lay experiential
and clinical evidence-based
knowledge, is intended to be
used in the consultation and to
provide an ongoing resource
for patients. The inclusion
of lay experiences means
professional advice is set in the
everyday world of patients and
that health care professionals
are made aware of lay priorities
and different ways of coping.
The guidebook is still in the
research phase but will be part
of a complex intervention in a
forthcoming study.
Thus, the guidebook should
help to support self care.
October 2010