OBJECTIVE: To compare the primary therapist model (PTM), provided by a single rheumatology-trained primary therapist, with the traditional treatment model (TTM), provided by a physical therapy (PT) and/or occupational therapy (OT) generalist, for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS:Eligible patients were adults requiring rehabilitation treatment who had not received PT/OT in the past 2 years. Participants were randomized to the PTM or TTM group. The primary outcome was defined as the proportion of clinical responders who experienced a >; or =20% improvement in 2 of the following measures from baseline to 6 months: Health Assessment Questionnaire, pain visual analog scale, and Arthritis Community Research and Evaluation Unit RA Knowledge Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of 144 consenting patients, 33 (10 PTM participants, 23 TTM participants) dropped out without completing any followup assessment, leaving 111 for analysis (63 PTM participants, 48 TTM participants). The majority were women (PTM 87.3%, TTM 79.2%), with a mean age of 54.2 years and 56.8 years for the PTM and TTM groups, respectively. Average disease duration was 10.6 years and 13.2 years for each group, respectively. At 6 months, 44.4% of patients in the PTM group were clinical responders versus 18.8% in the TTM group (chi(2) = 8.09, P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Compared with the TTM, the PTM was associated with better outcomes in patients with RA. The results, however, should be interpreted with caution due to the high dropout rate in the TTM group.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To compare the primary therapist model (PTM), provided by a single rheumatology-trained primary therapist, with the traditional treatment model (TTM), provided by a physical therapy (PT) and/or occupational therapy (OT) generalist, for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Eligible patients were adults requiring rehabilitation treatment who had not received PT/OT in the past 2 years. Participants were randomized to the PTM or TTM group. The primary outcome was defined as the proportion of clinical responders who experienced a > or =20% improvement in 2 of the following measures from baseline to 6 months: Health Assessment Questionnaire, pain visual analog scale, and Arthritis Community Research and Evaluation Unit RA Knowledge Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of 144 consenting patients, 33 (10 PTM participants, 23 TTMparticipants) dropped out without completing any followup assessment, leaving 111 for analysis (63 PTM participants, 48 TTMparticipants). The majority were women (PTM 87.3%, TTM 79.2%), with a mean age of 54.2 years and 56.8 years for the PTM and TTM groups, respectively. Average disease duration was 10.6 years and 13.2 years for each group, respectively. At 6 months, 44.4% of patients in the PTM group were clinical responders versus 18.8% in the TTM group (chi(2) = 8.09, P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Compared with the TTM, the PTM was associated with better outcomes in patients with RA. The results, however, should be interpreted with caution due to the high dropout rate in the TTM group.
Authors: Norma J Macintyre; Sydney C Lineker; Christina Hallett; Jake Tumber; Nalin Fernando; Magdalena Hul Journal: Physiother Can Date: 2012 Impact factor: 1.037
Authors: Johanna Darrah; Mary C Law; Nancy Pollock; Brenda Wilson; Dianne J Russell; Stephen D Walter; Peter Rosenbaum; Barb Galuppi Journal: Dev Med Child Neurol Date: 2011-05-13 Impact factor: 5.449
Authors: James M Gwinnutt; Maud Wieczorek; Giulio Cavalli; Andra Balanescu; Heike A Bischoff-Ferrari; Annelies Boonen; Savia de Souza; Annette de Thurah; Thomas E Dorner; Rikke Helene Moe; Polina Putrik; Javier Rodríguez-Carrio; Lucía Silva-Fernández; Tanja Stamm; Karen Walker-Bone; Joep Welling; Mirjana I Zlatković-Švenda; Francis Guillemin; Suzanne M M Verstappen Journal: RMD Open Date: 2022-03
Authors: Linda C Li; Marie D Westby; Evelyn Sutton; Marlene Thompson; Eric C Sayre; Lynn Casimiro Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2009-06-02 Impact factor: 2.655