Osteoarthritis of the knee clinical care standard indicators: 7b-Proportion of patients with knee osteoarthritis referred for consideration of surgery who were supported with non-surgical core treatments for at least three months

Collection and usage attributes

45 years

Non-surgical core treatments include dietary advice, weight loss support if needed, exercise prescription and/or referral to physical therapy, and pharmacological management.

Presented as a percentage.

(Numerator ÷ denominator) x 100

Number of patients with knee osteoarthritis referred for consideration of surgery who were supported with non-surgical core treatments for at least three months.

Number of patients with knee osteoarthritis referred for consideration of surgery.

Note that health services may not necessarily achieve 100% for this indicator, even when providing appropriate treatment, as there may be patients who will be referred for surgery prior to three months for clinically appropriate reasons. In these instances, this indicator should be used to review the appropriateness of referral for surgery prior to three months for these patients, and to monitor the health service’s referral for surgery over time.

This indicator has been adapted from the Osteoarthritis quality standard (NICE 2015).

Representational attributes

N[NN]

Accountability attributes

Applicable setting: all healthcare settings where care is provided to patients with knee osteoarthritis, including primary care, specialist care, hospitals and community settings.

Source and reference attributes

NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) 2015. Osteoarthritis Quality standard 87. London: NICE.

RACGP (Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) 2009. Guideline for the non-surgical management of hip and knee osteoarthritis. South Melbourne: RACGP.