Patients' Perceptions of Assessment and Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis in Primary Care

Background: To diagnose osteoarthritis (OA), Swedish guidelines recommend an overall assessment including patient history, symptoms, and clinical findings. However, diagnostic radiography is not recommended when assessing OA. Assessing and giving core treatments of patients with knee OA (KOA) is included in physiotherapists' area of expertise. Former studies show that there is no statistically significant difference in health-related quality of life for patients with KOA assessed by physiotherapists compared to being assessed by a physician in primary care. There is also research showing that costs can be reduced with a physiotherapist as first assessor. A task-shifting care model with physiotherapists as the primary assessor, can result in a reduced waiting time to recommended treatment for patients with KOA, as well as increase the accessibility to physicians in primary care for patients with more severe health conditions. Previous studies have explored expectations in patients with KOA and how they have experienced the health care when the first assessment and treatment has been performed by a physician. It has been described how referred patients with KOA have experienced physiotherapy treatment, and the physiotherapists' impact on exercise adherence. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies describing how patients with KOA have experienced health care, when being referred directly to a physiotherapist for assessment and treatment. The main purpose is to explore expectations, perceptions, and experiences among patients with KOA in primary care who have been assessed and treated by a physiotherapist. The second purpose is to explore the possible meaning of the first meeting when it comes to future self-care and experienced health status. Methods: Estimated 12-15 patients with KOA will be recruited from rehabilitation centers in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden, from October 2022 to February 2023. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted and will be