Boland Katy, Moffatt Maria, Littlewood Chris
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Wigan, UK.
School of Health & Society, University of Salford, Salford, UK.
Musculoskeletal Care. 2025 Jun;23(2):e70135. doi: 10.1002/msc.70135.
To explore the information needs of people with elbow osteoarthritis.
Qualitative interview study using reflexive thematic analysis.
A single National Health Service Teaching Hospital Trust and associated primary care services, providing musculoskeletal care across the clinical pathway. Interviews were conducted in person, by phone or video call according to participant preference.
Twelve adults with clinically diagnosed elbow osteoarthritis, under the care of a general practitioner or consultant elbow surgeon, were included.
Four themes were developed: (1) self-management in action, (2) experience of treatment options and navigating surgical decision making, (3) negotiating uncertainty and (4) active information seeking. Participants experiences were wide ranging and their varied information needs were at times unmet, particularly when related to treatment options, prognosis and surgical decision making. Across the clinical pathway, information was reported by some to be unclear or contradictory. Participants discussed a range of preferences for information sources. Accessing information was challenging for some participants and various barriers were discussed.
This is the first study to report the lived experience of people with elbow osteoarthritis and their information needs. For some, accessing information can be challenging, and the unmet information needs can affect the ability to self-manage ongoing symptoms and participate in treatment decisions. These findings provide a platform for the development of accessible, meaningful and culturally sensitive information sources capable of contributing to optimal treatment pathways.
探讨肘部骨关节炎患者的信息需求。
采用反思性主题分析的定性访谈研究。
一家单一的国民健康服务教学医院信托机构及相关初级保健服务机构，在整个临床路径中提供肌肉骨骼护理。根据参与者的偏好，通过面对面、电话或视频通话进行访谈。
纳入了12名在全科医生或肘部外科顾问医生照料下临床诊断为肘部骨关节炎的成年人。
形成了四个主题：（1）实际的自我管理，（2）治疗选择及手术决策过程中的体验，（3）应对不确定性，（4）积极寻求信息。参与者的经历广泛，他们多样的信息需求有时未得到满足，尤其是与治疗选择、预后和手术决策相关的需求。在整个临床路径中，一些人报告信息不清楚或相互矛盾。参与者讨论了对信息来源的一系列偏好。对一些参与者来说，获取信息具有挑战性，并讨论了各种障碍。
这是第一项报告肘部骨关节炎患者的实际经历及其信息需求的研究。对一些人来说，获取信息可能具有挑战性，未得到满足的信息需求会影响自我管理持续症状和参与治疗决策的能力。这些发现为开发可获取、有意义且具有文化敏感性的信息来源提供了一个平台，这些信息来源能够有助于优化治疗路径。
