The Health Innovation Network AHSN, NICE recognised Joint Pain Advisor intervention is a safe and cost effective alternative to GP consultations.
Involving a series of face-to-face consultations, Advisors work collaboratively with people with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis and/or back pain, focusing on supporting self-management.
Using behavioural change techniques Advisors work with individuals to discuss their lifestyle, challenges and goals, and begin to alter people’s health beliefs about joint pain and impact on healthy behaviour and lifestyles.
They jointly develop a care plan which includes tailored advice and support based on NICE guidelines e.g.:
• Increasing physical activity
• Promoting weight loss
• Effective pain management
• Simple strength and balance exercises
• Sign-posing to appropriate services (e.g. community exercise groups, physiotherapy, pharmacists for pain management advice, weight management groups, smoking cessation, mental health support)
Evaluation of 600 patients showed that having access to a Joint Pain Advisor resulted in:
• Reduction in pain and pain medication
• Reduction in weight
• Increase in physical activity by 2 days a week
• Improvements in function and activities of daily living
• 15% improvement in mental wellbeing (based on n:500)
• 21% fewer GP consultations for hip and knee pain (based on n:500)
• A social return on investment of £2-£4 for every £1 invested
Flexibility of the model means it can be delivered by a variety of professionals across a range of settings: e.g. physiotherapists, health trainers, workplace occupational therapy teams, AHPs, outreach workers across primary care, community, workplace or home settings.
To discuss adopting Joint Pain Advisor contact: Amy Semple, Project Manager: [email protected]
Visit our website: www.healthinnovationnetwork.com
Read our NICE Shared Learning Case Study: https://www.nice.org.uk/sharedlearning/the-joint-pain-advisor-approach-for-knee-and-hip-pain
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