For People Living with OA
Comprehensive Quality Care Standards for Osteoarthritis of the Hip & Knee
These standards are designed for individuals with osteoarthritis. The version for clinicians is here.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis. It’s a chronic, progressive condition with no cure. More cases of OA are diagnosed each year in Alberta because we’re living longer, and obesity rates are going up. Being obese puts more stress on the hips and knees. OA of the hip and knee joints can have a huge impact on your mobility and quality of life.
These nine care standards support care for adults with OA of the hip and knee. The nine standards focus on assessment, diagnosis, treatment, self-management, and measurement of this condition for people across all health care settings.
Setting Up for Success
Standard 1
Being Assessed for Osteoarthritis
Standard 2
Developing a Care Plan
Standard 3
Tailoring Treatments Over Time
Core Treatments
Standard 4
Core Treatment 1: Osteoarthritis Education
Standard 5
Core Treatment 2: Exercise & Physical Activity
Standard 6
Core Treatment 3: Managing Weight
Rounding Out the OA Journey
Standard 7
Adjunct/Alternative Treatments
Standard 8
Referral for Joint Surgery
Standard 9
Measuring Quality of Care
About the Standards
Comprehensive Quality Care Standards for Osteoarthritis includes nine consensus based statements that use evidence to guide the ideal OA care for people in Alberta with OA.
These standards guide the reader through a conservative OA care journey, while still recognizing that every person will have their own OA journey and care should be tailored to them. This body of work is living and will be updated about once a year. Please contact IIHO if you would like to know more about the updating process.
These standards were authored by the Conservative OA Clinical Committee. The committee worked on behalf of the Bone and Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network (BJH SCN) and was supported by the Institute for Improved Health Outcomes (IIHO).
The Health Quality of Ontario’s Quality Standards for Care for Adults With Osteoarthritis of the Knee, Hip, or Hand10were an inspiration for this body of work for Albertans.