A randomized clinical trial testing digital mindset intervention for knee osteoarthritis pain and activity improvement

Melissa A Boswell; Kris M Evans; Disha Ghandwani; Trevor Hastie; Sean R Zion; Paula L Moya; Nicholas J Giori; Jennifer L Hicks; Alia J Crum; Scott L Delp

doi:10.1038/s41746-024-01281-8

A randomized clinical trial testing digital mindset intervention for knee osteoarthritis pain and activity improvement

NPJ Digit Med. 2024 Oct 17;7(1):285. doi: 10.1038/s41746-024-01281-8.

Authors

Melissa A Boswell^{1

2}, Kris M Evans³, Disha Ghandwani⁴, Trevor Hastie⁴, Sean R Zion³, Paula L Moya⁵, Nicholas J Giori⁶, Jennifer L Hicks⁷, Alia J Crum^#³, Scott L Delp^#^{7

6

8}

Affiliations

¹ Joe Gibbs Human Performance Institute, Huntersville, NC, 28078, USA. mboswell@jghpi.com.
² Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. mboswell@jghpi.com.
³ Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
⁴ Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
⁵ Department of English, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
⁶ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
⁷ Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
⁸ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

This randomized clinical trial evaluated the effectiveness of short, digital interventions in improving physical activity and pain for individuals with knee osteoarthritis. We compared a digital mindset intervention, focusing on adaptive mindsets (e.g., osteoarthritis is manageable), to a digital education intervention and a no-intervention group. 408 participants with knee osteoarthritis completed the study online in the US. The mindset intervention significantly improved mindsets compared to both other groups (P < 0.001) and increased physical activity levels more than the no-intervention group (mean = 28.6 points, P = 0.001), but pain reduction was not significant. The mindset group also showed significantly greater improvements in the perceived need for surgery, self-imposed physical limitations, fear of movement, and self-efficacy than the no-intervention and education groups. This trial demonstrates the effectiveness of brief digital interventions in educating about osteoarthritis and further highlights the additional benefits of improving mindsets to transform patients' approach to disease management. The study was prospectively registered (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05698368, 2023-01-26).

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT05698368

Abstract

Associated data

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