U#3888_MH_ResearchReport (S)

Monash Health
Our commitment to investing
in emerging researchers
We have
an ongoing
commitment
to celebrate
and recognise
our emerging
researchers.
The 2017
Emerging
Research
Fellows are:
Ms Alison Gibbs, Grade 3
Advanced Musculoskeletal
Physiotherapist
Osteoarthritis hip and knee service
(OAHKS) clinics led by Advanced
Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists
have been utilised in the hospital
setting in Victoria for over a decade.
They aim to provide a comprehensive
assessment of patients with hip and
knee osteoarthritis (OA), ensure
conservative management is optimised
and provide timely referral on to
orthopaedics for surgical management
as required. Despite this, there is
evidence that implementation of
guidelines regarding hip and knee OA
is suboptimal both within Australia
and internationally.
This project therefore intends to
determine whether it is feasible to:
1. Establish an OAHKS clinic within a
GP practice
2. Engage with GP’s by having an
OAHKS clinic on site and provide
education regarding hip and
knee OA
3. Improve GP’s knowledge and
confidence in managing hip and
knee OA through engagement
Whilst there have been numerous
studies exploring barriers to
implementation of guidelines, there is
little known as to whether increasing
GP knowledge and confidence in
management of OA increases their
implementation of the guidelines.
If this research demonstrates it is
feasible to engage with GPs via face
to face education and implementing
an OAHKS clinic on site, further
research on a larger scale could be
undertaken to evaluate if this alters GP
management decisions and enables
more effective implementation of
guidelines for the management of hip
and knee OA.
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