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  • What We've Learned
Knee Osteoarthritis Self-Management and Knowledge Project
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Scientific Study Title:
Building partnerships to improve care of early knee osteoarthritis patients: Co-developing a risk management tool
Start Date:
  • 2016
End Date:
  • 2018
Research Category
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What did we do?

The goal of this project was to help early knee osteoarthritis patients manage their disease by increasing their involvement in their care process with family doctors. Working with patients, family doctors and other key parties, we created an App, named Knee OA Self-management and Knowledge Application (KOASK). KOASK is able to create a guided self-management plan and provide reliable information to patients. The goal of KOASK is to improve self-care and communication between patients and their health care providers.

What did we find?

Patients and doctors were involved in all phases of the study, from the original idea of an App to design of the App. This new approach brought the patient point of view front and centre, and made sure that the view of all relevant parties were shown in the final App. The use of this co-design style led to discussions around the needs of patients, focussing on the different ideas and opinions that exist between patients and family doctors. Our study found that exploring these differences might lead to strong design options for patient-focussed health Apps. Understanding and knowing these differences is important for applying patient-focussed health care.

The Research Team

Principal Investigator

  • Deborah A. Marshall, PhD, Senior Scientist, Health Services Research and Health
  • Economics, Arthritis Research Canada (University of Calgary)

Co-investigators

  • Sylvia Teare, Jean Miller, Tracy Wasylak, Nancy Marlett, Kelly Mrklas, Behnam Sharif, Peter Faris, Denise Campbell-Scherer, Lee Green
  • Jolanda Cibere, MD, FRCPC, PhD, Senior Scientist, Rheumatology, Arthritis Research Canada (University of British Columbia)
  • Jacek Kopec, MD, MSc, PhD, Senior Scientist Emeritus, Epidemiology, Arthritis Research Canada (University of British Columbia)

Who Funded This Research?

CIHR Knowledge to Action Grant 201

How Can People Get Involved?

A team of clinicians, decision makers, researchers, patients and analysts with the expertise and engagement to ensure our research is clinically meaningful and is translated into patient-centered policy and practice

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