The Effectiveness of Patient Education and Self-management Program on Pain and Disability Among Adult Patients With Osteoarthritis: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2026 Mar;56(3):176-192. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2026.13407.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effectiveness of patient education and self-management interventions for osteoarthritis (OA) in adults aged ≥18 years.

DESIGN: Overview of intervention systematic reviews (SRs).

LITERATURE SEARCH: Eight databases (MEDLINE [Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online], Cochrane Library, EMBASE [Excerpta Medica Database], Epistemonikos, Web of Science, Scopus, PEDro [Physiotherapy Evidence Database], and CINAHL [Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature]) were searched from inception to June 26, 2024.

STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA: We included intervention SRs, with or without meta-analysis (MA), that evaluated patient education or self-management interventions for adults with OA, reporting pain or functional outcomes.

DATA SYNTHESIS: Data were extracted using a standardized template. We extracted intervention effects on pain and function. Methodological quality was evaluated using the AMSTAR-2 (A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) checklist. We assessed the overlap of studies included in the SRs using the corrected covered area (CCA) method.

RESULTS: Nineteen SRs (12 with MA) encompassing 171 trials were included. Patient education interventions had modest effects on reducing short-term pain (standardized mean difference [SMD], -0.22 to -0.35). There were no sustained or consistent effects of patient education interventions on function. Self-management interventions yielded small and consistent effects on reducing pain (SMDs ranging approximately from -0.20 to -1.51) and improving function (SMDs up to 1.95), especially over the long term and when combined with patient education. Methodological quality was generally low; 1 SR was rated as high quality. There was a slight overlap among included trials (CCAs of 1.5% for patient education and 4.6% for self-management).

CONCLUSION: Self-management interventions, particularly when integrated with patient education or other therapies, may offer more robust and lasting benefits for OA management than patient education alone. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2026;56(3):176-192. Epub 4 February 2026. doi:10.2519/jospt.2026.13407.

PMID:41764169 | DOI:10.2519/jospt.2026.13407