Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Nonoperative Management of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Occupational therapy practitioners play an essential role in supporting the occupational performance needs of people with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

These Practice Guidelines aim to assist occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and researchers in applying evidence-based clinical recommendations within the scope of occupational therapy for people with OA and RA. These guidelines can also serve as a reference for people with arthritis as well as other health care professionals, health care managers, regulators, policymakers, third-party payers, and managed-care organizations.

The ADAPTE methodology was the basis for the development of these Practice Guidelines. It supported efficiency by allowing us to systematically adapt existing clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to occupational therapy practice. We selected existing CPGs for inclusion, extracted relevant evidence-based clinical recommendations, and developed associated action statements to align the recommendations with occupational therapy practice. We evaluated the quality of all the included CPGs using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II and AGREE-Recommendations Excellence instruments.

Seven existing CPGs were included, from which 53 evidence-based clinical recommendations were extracted.

Six action statements were developed related to (1) client education and self-management interventions, (2) psychosocial interventions, (3) lifestyle management interventions, (4) physical activity and exercise interventions, (5) interventions to support occupation, and (6) interventions for work participation. These statements can guide the application of the evidence-based clinical recommendations to develop personalized care solutions to support people with OA and RA so they can live well with these chronic conditions. Plain-Language Summary: These Practice Guidelines provide strategies for occupational therapy practitioners to help people with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis live well with their chronic condition. The guidelines include specific recommendations that have been published by other professional groups. The guidelines also provide examples of how to apply these recommendations in ways that are relevant for occupational therapy practitioners. The strategies focus on educating clients with arthritis and supporting them in managing pain, fatigue, well-being, health, and participation in daily activities.