General practitioners (GPs) are usually the first point of contact with the health care system for people with osteoarthritis [1] and they often play a coordinating role for the multidisciplinary management of osteoarthritis (RACGP 2009) [2].
Management of osteoarthritis in general practice includes:
- assessment of the condition(s)
- referral to other health services (specialists, allied health practitioners, diagnostic testing and hospitals)
- prescribing, advising and supplying medication; and
- providing patient education (on lifestyle modifications including risk modification and joint protection).
Osteoarthritis is among the most commonly managed conditions in general practice [3]. In 2010–11, osteoarthritis was managed at a rate of 2.7 per 100 GP–patient encounters.
The rate of GP–patient encounters for osteoarthritis was similar for males and females (2.4 and 2.9 per 100 encounters respectively).
As osteoarthritis is a condition affecting people aged 45 and over mostly, it was more likely to be managed by GPs in patients aged 45 and older (95.5%) than in younger patients (4.5%), with the highest rate among people aged 75 or older (35.0%).
Source table
Table 1: Sex and age of people whose osteoarthritis was managed by GPs, 2010–11
| Population group |
Rate per 100 encounters |
95% confidence interval (a) |
| All |
2.7 |
2.5–2.9 |
| Sex |
|
|
| Males |
2.4 |
2.2–2.6 |
| Females |
2.9 |
2.7–3.1 |
| Age group |
|
|
| 5–14 |
0.1 |
0.1–0.2 |
| 15–24 |
0.1 |
0.1–0.2 |
| 25–44 |
0.5 |
0.4–0.6 |
| 45–64 |
3.4 |
3.1–3.7 |
| 65–74 |
5.3 |
4.8–5.9 |
| 75+ |
6.0 |
5.5–6.5 |
a. Shows the lower and upper limits of confidence interval. We can be 95% confident that the true value is within the confidence interval.
Note: the data in the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) survey relating to the period 2010–11 contained in this report were collected by the Family Medicine Centre of the University of Sydney under a previous collaboration with the AIHW. In BEACH surveys, problems managed in general practices are classified according to the second edition of the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2). The ICPC-2 codes used for osteoarthritis were L83011, L84004, L84009, L84010, L84011, L84012, L89001, L90001, L91001, L91003, L91008, L91015, L91017 and L92007. Refer to Britt et al. (2011) for more information about the BEACH Survey.
Source: The BEACH program, Family Medicine Research Centre, University of Sydney.
References
- McKenzie S and Torkington A 2010. Osteoarthritis: management options in general practice. Australian Family Physician 39 (9):622-625.
- RACGP (The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) 2009. Guideline for the non-surgical management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. Melbourne: RACGP.
- Britt H, Miller GC, Charles J, Henderson J, Bayram C, Pan Y, Valenti L, Harrison C, O'Halloran J, Zhang C, Fahridin S 2011. General practice activity in Australia 2010-11. General practice series no.29. Sydney: Sydney University Press.