An Interview with Joyce Knestrick and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners 
Dr. Joyce M. Knestrick, PhD, C-FNP, APRN, FAANP, is the President of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners
1. What is your organization’s interest in the
Osteoarthritis Action Alliance?
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) has been a member of the OAAA coalition since its inception and has actively participated on various workgroups to mobilize health care providers to address osteoarthritis (OA) in clinical care and to advance awareness and resources for patient self-management through physical activity and weight management. AANP considers our participation with the OAAA coalition to be beneficial to our members as nurse practitioners (NPs) are vital health care providers and are committed to providing the most effective management of their patients. Through our participation with the OAAA coalition, we can work together to ensure that NPs have both consistent, reliable information for their own knowledge gain and resources to use and provide to their patients with OA.
2. What do you think is the most important issue today related to osteoarthritis?
Most important is joint pain, which can limit the normal daily activities of many patients. The associated issues are a combination of the management of acute and chronic pain, the prevention of further joint damage and the need for continued physical activity for the person with OA.
3. How does your work connect to issues in osteoarthritis?
At AANP, we work to educate NPs on the latest evidence regarding prevention of the disease, treatment strategies and health promotion activities to prevent further damage. NPs often see patients in the primary care setting and manage OA as well as refer to specialists, such as rheumatologists, physical therapists and other health care providers, as indicated by the patient’s needs.
4. What is a headline you’d like to see about osteoarthritis in five years?
We would like to see new advancements in treatment for OA that demonstrate remarkable improvements in mobility. Through these advances, NPs and other health care providers are able to help patients restore joint changes that were once thought irreversible.
5. What is one interesting fact you’d like people to know about your organization?
AANP is the only national membership organization for NPs in all specialties. With more than 92,000 members, the mission of AANP is to empower all NPs to advance quality health care through practice, education, advocacy, research and leadership.
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in efforts to address physical activity and weight management strategies for OA and, most recently, on the provider education toolkit the OAAA is beginning to develop. We value AANP’s insight regarding nurse practitioners’ experience and the importance of reaching this key group of healthcare providers given their access to people with arthritis and their significant role as care providers, educators, and overall supporters.
