A Pilot Study on the Impact of Interventions provided to Patients of Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) in a Government Multi-specialty Hospital, Chandigarh

Abstract

Introduction: Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is reported to be a major health problem worldwide. This study aims to ascertain the impact of all the treatments of KOA patients received in a hospital in Chandigarh. Methodology: A Government multi-specialty hospital in Chandigarh was purposively selected as the study area. For data collection, a semi-structured interview schedule was used. All literate patients with KOA diagnosis who had undergone a minimum of 3 months of therapy and who visited the hospital in the study period were included in the study. Results: Overall, 46 patients were contacted. The majority (72%) of the patients were female. Patients presented with multiple clinical symptoms; 65% of the patients scored 4 on the Faces Pain Scale. Some (27.5%) of the patients reported KOA in the first three months of the onset of symptoms. The majority (57.5%) of the total patients consulted a doctor within the first three months of the appearance of KOA. Many (47.5%) patients showed improvement in the signs and symptoms after the interventions. Conclusion: A majority of KOA patients were female. Consultation lag was present within the first three months in most of the cases. The interventions provided improvement in the signs and symptoms in many patients.