New Resources to Help Healthcare Providers and their Patients Manage Osteoarthritis
 Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is a serious disease affecting 1 in 7 US adults. The personal and economic burden of OA is significant, and the effects are felt by adults with OA, their families, employers, and communities. The good news is that there are strategies to help prevent and manage OA.
The Osteoarthritis Action Alliance (OAAA) collaborated with Pfizer to update and expand OACareTools, an online toolkit that aims to reduce the burden of osteoarthritis (OA), a painful and costly disease. OACareTools contains 21 NEW tools and resources for healthcare providers in primary care— physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, physical/occupational therapists, sports medicine professionals, athletic trainers, fitness professionals—and their patients.
In addition to 9 self-paced educational modules on OA, OACareTools also includes customized, multi-modal tools and resources for providers and patients, such as:
- Guidelines for managing OA – Learn about the latest clinical guidelines, at a glance.
- Functional assessments – Learn about a variety of functional assessments used in OA care and get tips for implementing these assessments into routine care.
- Exercise Rx for Arthritis – Help your patients find the type, frequency, and intensity of physical activity that best meets their personal needs and situation.
- Evidence-based programs – Physical activity and self-management education programs for patients with OA that may be available in your community.
- Getting started with physical activity – A worksheet with recommendations and guidance to help patients develop their own physical activity plans.
Visit www.oacaretools.org for a complete listing and description of resources. In addition, visit the Adult & Employee page for resources that providers can make available to their patients as well.
If we are to ensure that healthcare remains affordable and widely available for future generations, we need to radically rethink how we provide and manage it – in collaboration with key health system partners – and apply the technology that can help achieve these changes.
–Frans van Houten
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