The overarching themes indicated people with osteoarthritis delay their diagnosis , opting for self-management and informal information gathering .
This informal rather than health professional-led guidance is sought and maintained as an important re source throughout the care of this population and is valued .
There remains uncertainty regarding when this is required , but the expected failure of conservative treatment to manage pain and symptoms is common .
This may provide a more valuable perception of non-operative management to promote its adoption and adherence in managing osteoarthritis
Abstract This paper determines the perceptions of people diagnosed with osteoarthritis towards their conservative management strategies .
Beliefs about the causes of osteoarthritis among primary care patients.
OBJECTIVE Beliefs about the causes of osteoarthritis ( OA ) have been examined infrequently . The purpose of this study was to provide insight into patients ' beliefs about the causes of OA in a primary care population . METHODS This study involved 31 individuals with OA who were purposively sample d to reflect age , sex , and self-efficacy scores from the intervention arm of a r and omized controlled trial examining the effectiveness of an arthritis self-management program in primary care . Participants took part in face-to-face interviews . Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenologic analysis . RESULTS A total of 31 patients with OA ( 17 [ 55 % ] men ) with a median age of 68 years ( range 56 - 84 years ) were recruited .  OA and painful joints were considered to be an inevitable aspect of aging rather than an indication of disease . Participants attributed the cause of OA to multiple factors , the most commonly reported being wear and tear . CONCLUSION Insight into beliefs about the causes of OA among older people may help explain attitudes towards the uptake of health care among this group of patients
The overarching themes indicated people with osteoarthritis delay their diagnosis , opting for self-management and informal information gathering .
This informal rather than health professional-led guidance is sought and maintained as an important re source throughout the care of this population and is valued .
There remains uncertainty regarding when this is required , but the expected failure of conservative treatment to manage pain and symptoms is common .
This may provide a more valuable perception of non-operative management to promote its adoption and adherence in managing osteoarthritis
Abstract This paper determines the perceptions of people diagnosed with osteoarthritis towards their conservative management strategies .