Study shows improved self-efficacy in osteoarthritis patients as a result of positive messages from providers

Patients with knee osteoarthritis with providers that expressed higher expectations about the success of acupuncture treatment showed improved self-efficacy, which was related to pain relief, according to recently published research.

Dr Grace Hsiao-Wei Lo, MSc and colleagues from the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, US evaluated 485 participants with knee osteoarthritis randomised to either acupuncture, sham acupuncture or wait list groups and given either a high or a neutral expectation of treatment success, according to the abstract. The acupuncturists conveying high expectations used phrases like, “I’ve had a lot of success with treating these symptoms,” “I expect this treatment to work” and “I’m positive that this treatment will work for you.” Acupuncturists using neutral language used phrases such as, “Different people experience different results while undergoing this treatment,” “This treatment may or may not work for you” and “We are not certain if acupuncture will work for knee pain.” The researchers recorded pain using the WOMAC pain subscale and assessed patient self-efficacy through a modified arthritis self-efficacy questionnaire at 3 months.

The researchers found patients in groups in which acupuncturists conveyed a higher expectation showed greater self-efficacy. while self-efficacy was also significantly associated with WOMAC pain after investigators controlled for acupuncturists’ expectations.

“Our study demonstrates that for knee osteoarthritis patients undergoing acupuncture treatment in an randomised controlled trial setting, provider communication style influences patient self-efficacy, which mediated their pain improvements,” says Dr Lo. “This study underscores the potential benefits of improved patient self-efficacy that can result from positive messages from providers. This is an inexpensive intervention that can provide an important benefit in a disease where currently few treatment options exist.”

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