General practitioners’ views on managing knee osteoarthritis: a thematic analysis of factors influencing clinical practice guideline implementation in primary care

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is diagnosed and managed primarily by general practitioners (GPs). OA guidelines recommend using clinical criteria, without x-ray, for diagnosis, and advising strengthening exercise, aerobic activity and, if appropriate, weight loss as first-line treatments. These recommendations are often not implemented by GPs. To facilitate GP uptake of guidelines, greater understanding of GP practice behaviour is required. This qualitative study identified key factors influencing implementation of these recommendations in the primary-care setting. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with eleven GPs were conducted, transcribed verbatim, coded by two independent researcher..