Sammanfattning
Objective: Hand osteoarthtritis (HOA) is a common joint disorder with an expected rise in prevalence due to the increasing
ageing population, but with few available effective treatment options. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the
effect of assistive technology (AT) in patients with HOA.
Methods: In this observer blinded, randomised controlled trial, 35 patients with HOA (AT group) received provision of information
and AT (assistive devices and splints), while 35 patients received information only (control group). Primary outcomes
were activity performance and satisfaction with performance, measured by the Canadian Occupational Performance
Measure (COPM) on a 1 - 10 scale. Secondary outcomes included measures of disease activity, pain, fatigue and function.
Outcome assessments were made at three months follow up.
Results: Of 70 participants randomized, 66 participants completed all assessments. Provision of AT was associated with
improvement in the COPM performance score (mean difference (95 percent CI) in change scores 1.8, (1.1-2.6) and in the
satisfaction score (1.7, (0.7-2.6)), indicating a moderate to large treatment effect (effect sizes 0.9). There was a significant
improvement in the Australian/Canadian Hand Index (AUSCAN) function score in the AT group after three months (-0.4, p
<0.001), and an adjusted mean difference between groups of -0.3 (p=0.06, effect size -0.5). No other differences were found
in the secondary outcomes. Self-reported AT usage rate in the AT group was 92 percent, and participants rated their comfort
with AT usage as high.