How do people with knee pain from osteoarthritis respond to a brief video delivering empowering education about the condition and its management?

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate responses by people with knee osteoarthritis to a brief educational video about their condition that aimed to empower and motivate effective self-management. The video content addressed psychosocial contributors to pain and barriers to behaviour change.

Methods: A mixed methods design, including a survey and semi-structured interviews, was used to collect data from 118 people (46-83 years, 78% female) with knee osteoarthritis.

Results: Quantitative data analysis showed the video was rated positively on 0-6 scales for enjoyability (mean 5.0), helpfulness (4.9), relevance (5.0) and believability (5.4). The majority would recommend the video (89%), learned new information (78%) and/or reported intentions to change behaviour (78%). A minority disliked aspects of the video (23%). The thematic analyses identified three main themes: Reactions to the video, including emotions; Learning from the video, including new knowledge and empowerment, but also unmet information needs or disagreement; and Intentions, including behaviour changes, cognitive changes and help seeking.

Conclusion: Education about knee osteoarthritis with a focus on empowerment is well received by people with the condition, although some discordant views emerged.

Practice implications: The educational video about knee osteoarthritis can be recommended to promote effective self-management and counteract potential drawbacks associated with biomedical-based education.

Keywords: Behaviour change; Knee; Osteoarthritis; Patient education; Qualitative.