Assessment of Knowledge and Misconceptions of Osteoarthritis Patients Attending a Rheumatology Unit

Background: Osteoarthritis accounts for around 8% of the total burden of diseases worldwide. There is evidence that patient education has the beneficial impact of pain reduction and function improvement. The psychological advantages of patient education emphasized the effect of better knowledge on quality of life along with reduction in health care visit for patients with knee osteoarthritis.Objectives: To assess the level of knowledge and highlights the educational needs of Iraqi patients about osteoarthritis and to evaluate osteoarthritis patients’ attitude and practice as a part of self-management approach.Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study conducted at Rheumatology Unit of Baghdad Teaching Hospital in Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq during a period of eight months from (December 2021 to August 2022). It included 100 patients who were known cases of osteoarthritis, aged ≥ 40 years. Questionnaire was divided into four sections in the form of multiple-choice questions to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding osteoarthritis.Results: Knowledge level was poor in 69% of patients. It was significantly higher among males and among the patients who reported that persons with the same problem (neighbors, friends, and relatives) were the source of information about osteoarthritis.Conclusion: Iraqi patients with osteoarthritis especially elderly is keen to live a pain free life but with the least effort to find the best advice from specialists and instead they gain information about the disease from their peers. There are many misconceptions and misbeliefs about the osteoarthritis and its management that need to be corrected by focused efforts to achieve better education. Keywords: Attitude; education; knowledge; osteoarthritis; practice.