(Research Hub Theater) Using a Modified WOMAC to Evaluate Osteoarthritis Care Providers’ Expectations of Patients’ Pain and Mobility Limitations

Background and/or Objectives: Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability around the world and the most common joint disorder in the United States. Diagnosis and treatment determination is accomplished with a mixture of objective (radiographic) and subjective (patient report and physical exam) evidence. Mismatched understandings of the complexity of OA and desired outcomes of care may leave patients feeling disconnected from their providers. This study used a modified Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and previously published, normative reference data to evaluate how medical professionals expect their average OA patients would respond.

Design: Survey

Setting: Virtual

Participants: 34 medical professions- 18 medical doctors and 16 physical therapists

Interventions: not applicable

Main Outcome Measures: mWOMAC responses

Results: Medical professionals expected their average OA patient would experience a 2 out of 4, representing moderate difficulty, for pain. This is higher than every normative data age range except 80 years old and higher. They expected a 2.5 out of 4 for stiffness, which is higher than every normative data age range except 80 years old and higher. Finally, for function the medical professionals expected slightly above a 2 out of 4, also higher than every normative data age range except 80 years and higher.

Conclusions: There is a clear overestimation when it comes to all categories of the WOMAC and medical professionals understand patient symptoms. Interestingly, this wouldn’t support the idea of an empathy gap resulting in inadequate treatment. Instead, it would indicate that medical professionals might be over empathizing, and over treating their patients with OA. The important takeaway is the importance of truly listening to patients and what they’re struggling with in order to provide the best treatment.