Evidence-Based Medicine

Library of CQI Products

The AAOS is working on expanding the library of clinical quality improvement products. Current products available include:

1. Clinical Practice Guidelines
2. Clinical Performance Measures: Osteoarthritis of the Knee (in PDF format)

Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis and a leading cause of disability. The risk for disability attributable to OA of the knee is as great as the risk attributable to cardiovascular disease and greater than that attributable to any other medical condition in elderly persons.

• OA of the knee affects at least 12% of American adults, aged 65 years and older.
• Symptomatic OA of the knee affects at least 6% of American adults aged 30 years and older.
• Approximately 10 million American adults were diagnosed with osteoarthritis in 1999.

This measurement tool provides physicians with evidence-based clinical performance measures for Osteoarthritis of the Knee, including a data collection flowsheet, that may be useful for quality improvement activities within physician practices. Performance measures provide important information to a physician, allowing him or her to enhance the quality of care delivered to patients.

These performance measures are designed for use by any physician who manages the ongoing care of patients who have reached skeletal maturity (aged 21 years and older) with a confirmed diagnosis of OA of the knee. The measures are designed for prospective data collection in the office-based practice setting only.