OA Champions

Why: Knee Osteoarthritis is a significant contributor to Australia’s burden of disease. Despite conservative treatment recommended as first line care, surgery is often considered a foregone conclusion by those with the condition. Accessing information about active management can be difficult, and people with OA are often presented with conflicting information.

What: This project has worked with people with lived experience of knee osteoarthritis and physiotherapists to develop a peer mentoring program to connect people with lived experience of OA, and training in contemporary pain science with those who are seeking care and support. We worked with a group of people with lived experience, together with experts in pain science education to develop a framework and training program for peer mentors. This included the development of bespoke ‘session cards’ as a support mechanism to enable mentors to engage with mentees in a structured, yet flexible way. The project is currently being evaluated via a clinical trial.