Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Regarding Non-Surgical Intervention Among Osteoarthritis Patients: A Review

@#Treatment effectiveness depends on the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of osteoarthritis (OA) patients towards their assigned treatment. This study aimed to explore the KAP towards non-surgical intervention among OA patients. A methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) was implemented. An electronic database search of English-language academic articles was conducted using PubMed and ScienceDirect databases encompassing 1998 to 2018 period of time, resulting in a total of 26 studies. OA patients were knowledgeable about the disease and exercise management. However, they were lack of knowledge on drug therapy and complementary strategies. The attitude towards non-surgical interventions was ambivalence. Lastly, the practice section mainly focused on patients’ compliance and behaviour towards different conservative managements, namely physiotherapy, medications, and complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) which influenced by both knowledge level and attitudes. In conclusion, a higher knowledge level and positive attitude will result in good practice.

Clinical outcomes and hospital length of stay in 2,756 elderly patients with hip fractures: a comparison of surgical and non-surgical management

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of elderly hip fracture patients who received surgical treatment with those who received non-surgical treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This retrospective study involved 2,756 elderly patients with hip fractures who were admitted over a six-year period. The patients' biodata, complications, ambulatory status at discharge and length of hospital stay were obtained from the institution's hip fracture registry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 2,756 hip fracture patients, 2,029 (73.6%) underwent surgical intervention, while 727 (26.4%) opted for non-surgical intervention. The complication rate among the patients who underwent surgical intervention was 6.6%, while that among the patients who underwent non-surgical intervention was 12.5% (p < 0.01). The mean length of hospital stay for the surgical and non-surgical hip fracture patients was 15.7 days and 22.4 days, respectively (p < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Surgical management of hip fractures among the elderly is associated with a lower complication rate, as well as a reduced length of hospital stay.</p>