Management of Knee Osteoarthritis: Knowledge and Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines Among Physiotherapists in Selected Hospitals in Lagos State, Nigeria

Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (OA) is one of the most common conditions resulting to chronic disability predominantly in elderly population. The management of knee OA has been characterized by variations among physiotherapists within Lagos state, Nigeria. However, there is a need for physiotherapists as a whole to embrace evidence –based clinical practice guidelines in the management of this condition. This study was aimed at determining if the physiotherapist’s characteristics (such as age, highest educational attainment, year of induction, years of experience and setting of practice) influence the knowledge and adherence to clinical practice guidelines in knee OA management and to find out if there is a need to develop clinical practice guidelines in the management of knee OA. This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey involving 104 physiotherapists from selected health care facilities in Lagos state. They were required to complete a 33-item questionnaire which collected information on sociodemographic data, work experience, treatment activities and their knowledge and adherence to knee OA clinical practice guidelines. Only a small percentage (16.30%) of the respondents were knowledgeable about knee OA clinical practice guidelines while even a smaller percentage (14.40%) of the respondents adhere to knee OA clinical practice guidelines. Knowledge and adherence were influenced by setting of practice (p=0.001, p=0.027). Majority (93.30%) of the respondents recommended the need for knee OA clinical practice guidelines in Nigeria. A small population of the respondents is knowledgeable and adheres to knee OA clinical practice guidelines. Some of the characteristics of the physiotherapists influence the knowledge and adherence to knee OA clinical practice guidelines. However, findings show that there is a need to develop a knee OA clinical practice guideline in Nigeria in other to standardize and improve effective treatment outcome in patient care.