Barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in Ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework

Objectives To explore the barriers and enablers to providing and receiving primary care for osteoarthritis (OA) in Ireland from the perspectives of primary care healthcare professionals (HCPs) and individuals with OA.Design Descriptive qualitative study incorporating an inductive thematic analysis t...

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Main Authors: Joice Cunningham, Susan M Smith, Jennifer Ryan, Frank Doyle, Barbara Clyne, Helen P French, Cathal Cadogan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2024-12-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/12/e087054.full
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author Joice Cunningham
Susan M Smith
Jennifer Ryan
Frank Doyle
Barbara Clyne
Helen P French
Cathal Cadogan
author_facet Joice Cunningham
Susan M Smith
Jennifer Ryan
Frank Doyle
Barbara Clyne
Helen P French
Cathal Cadogan
author_sort Joice Cunningham
collection DOAJ
description Objectives To explore the barriers and enablers to providing and receiving primary care for osteoarthritis (OA) in Ireland from the perspectives of primary care healthcare professionals (HCPs) and individuals with OA.Design Descriptive qualitative study incorporating an inductive thematic analysis to identify key barrier and enabler themes and subsequent deductive mapping to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).Setting Primary care in Ireland.Participants HCPs, including 6 general practitioners, 5 physiotherapists, 1 occupational therapist and 1 practice nurse, and 13 individuals with OA were interviewed.Results Identified barriers and enablers related to nine domains of the TDF. Key barriers identified by HCPs included limited and delayed access to multidisciplinary primary care services, lack of integrated care pathways specific to OA and insufficient training in musculoskeletal conditions including OA. Individuals with OA also reported poor access to health services due to long waiting lists, lack of education on OA and feelings of not being taken seriously by HCPs. There is a need for targeted HCP education and training to address the identified knowledge, skills and confidence gaps in communication, diagnosis and evidence-based management of OA. Improved management of OA through system-level changes, including integrated care pathways with multidisciplinary services to better support individuals with OA in the community, is required.Conclusions This study identified several barriers and enablers to the management of OA. These findings highlight areas to be targeted by future interventions aimed at improving the management of OA in primary care.
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spelling doaj-art-1a0f06f575734e6ab6d059836f6eee7f2024-12-16T17:15:12ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552024-12-01141210.1136/bmjopen-2024-087054Barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in Ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains FrameworkJoice Cunningham0Susan M Smith1Jennifer Ryan2Frank Doyle3Barbara Clyne4Helen P French5Cathal Cadogan61 School of Physiotherapy, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland5 School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland1 School of Physiotherapy, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland2 Department of Health Psychology, School of Population Health, RSCI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland4 Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Population Health, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland1 School of Physiotherapy, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland3 School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandObjectives To explore the barriers and enablers to providing and receiving primary care for osteoarthritis (OA) in Ireland from the perspectives of primary care healthcare professionals (HCPs) and individuals with OA.Design Descriptive qualitative study incorporating an inductive thematic analysis to identify key barrier and enabler themes and subsequent deductive mapping to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).Setting Primary care in Ireland.Participants HCPs, including 6 general practitioners, 5 physiotherapists, 1 occupational therapist and 1 practice nurse, and 13 individuals with OA were interviewed.Results Identified barriers and enablers related to nine domains of the TDF. Key barriers identified by HCPs included limited and delayed access to multidisciplinary primary care services, lack of integrated care pathways specific to OA and insufficient training in musculoskeletal conditions including OA. Individuals with OA also reported poor access to health services due to long waiting lists, lack of education on OA and feelings of not being taken seriously by HCPs. There is a need for targeted HCP education and training to address the identified knowledge, skills and confidence gaps in communication, diagnosis and evidence-based management of OA. Improved management of OA through system-level changes, including integrated care pathways with multidisciplinary services to better support individuals with OA in the community, is required.Conclusions This study identified several barriers and enablers to the management of OA. These findings highlight areas to be targeted by future interventions aimed at improving the management of OA in primary care.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/12/e087054.full
spellingShingle Joice Cunningham
Susan M Smith
Jennifer Ryan
Frank Doyle
Barbara Clyne
Helen P French
Cathal Cadogan
Barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in Ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework
BMJ Open
title Barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in Ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework
title_full Barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in Ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework
title_fullStr Barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in Ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework
title_full_unstemmed Barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in Ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework
title_short Barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in Ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework
title_sort barriers and enablers to the management of osteoarthritis in primary care in ireland from the perspective of healthcare professionals and individuals with osteoarthritis a qualitative study using the theoretical domains framework
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/12/e087054.full
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