What patients with knee osteoarthritis think of their treatments and can we change their expectations?

Physical therapist with patient.

Join our team to help develop ways to address patient expectations related to knee osteoarthritis treatment. 

Project description

Patient expectations – the extent to which patients think their symptoms will improve after treatment and the extent to which patients think their treatment is logical and credible - matter for health outcomes. We are wrapping up a clinical research study of patient expectations around their knee treatments. Enrolled patients are 45-85 years old, have knee osteoarthritis, and are seeking care from one of two of our outpatient orthopaedic practices. Patients are asked to complete a questionnaire prior to beginning either physical therapy, corticosteroid injection or having an arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. After we complete study enrollment (estimated March 2025), we will compare patient expectations by treatment group. The next step will be to develop an educational intervention to educate patients on realistic expectations for their care, including near and longer terms outcomes. We will develop this patient educational intervention with an interdisciplinary group of providers, including sports medicine surgeons, a primary care sports medicine physician, and a public health expert. 

Project outcome

  • Be exposed to research methods, data collection, data analysis, and intervention development
  • Assist the research team with conference preparation (due September 2025) and manuscript writing (e.g., literature reviews, editing)
  • Assist with team to design a patient education intervention that we will test in clinical practice
  • Participate in the seven-week UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine’s Medical Student Summer Research Program
  • Present their research during the program's research symposium day to faculty and peers 

Project details

Timing, eligibility and other details
Length of commitment Longer than a semester; 6-9 months
Start time Spring (January/February 2025)
In-person, remote, or hybrid? In-Person Project (Can only function with in-person engagement)
Level of collaboration Individual Student Project
Benefits Stipend
Who is eligible Juniors and Seniors with research experience and/or clinical experience

Core partners

Project mentor

Nomi Weiss-Laxer

Research Assistant Professor/Research Scientist

Orthopedics

Phone: (716) 881-8904

Email: nomiweis@buffalo.edu

Contact for Student Applications

Jenna Betterson

Research Administrative Assistant

Orthopedics, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Phone: (716) 829-3852

Email: jferrent@buffalo.edu

Start the project

  1. Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
  2. After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.) 

Preparation activities

Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase. 

  1. UB IRB and Managing Compliance - Register for CLICK UB Students.
    https://www.buffalo.edu/research/research-services/compliance/irb/click-irb.html#title_0

  2. UB JSMBS - Required CITI Training Courses: 1) Biomedical Research Investigator; 2) CITI Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and 3) Conflict of Interest (COI).
    https://medicine.buffalo.edu/orientation/checklist/citi-training.html

  3. UB Introduction to REDCap https://www.buffalo.edu/ctsi/cores/clinical-research-office/educational-modules/an-introduction-to-redcap.html
  4. Additionally, the student will:
  • Meet with the study’s clinical and research team
  • Familiarize themselves with the study protocol, informed consent and survey
  • Undergo training in: Electronic Medical Record (EMR) System data extraction, consenting, survey administration, REDCap 

Keywords

orthopedics, sports medicine, rehabilitation sciences, health education, patient education, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences