O1401 INCONSISTENCIES IN PRIMARY CARE MANAGEMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS IN THREE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

Aims: Advance the understanding of the management of rheumatic conditions by capturing information on management of OA and primary care physicians’ (GPs) perceptions of the risks and benefits of different interventions in Germany, Spain and the UK. Methods: Telephone survey of 600 randomly selected GPs (200 per country) using a structured questionnaire. Results: Management of OA across all countries does not necessarily conform to EULAR guidelines. There are variations in physical therapies used and in firstline pharmacological management: in the UK, mainly analgesics (61%) with some NSAIDs (35%); in Spain, a combination of analgesics (76%) and NSAIDs (91%); and Germany, predominantly NSAIDs (94%) with almost no analgesia (8%). Cox II-specific inhibitors are rarely used as first-line treatment and only used in significant amounts in Germany (by 32% of GPs) when first-line NSAIDs had failed due to side-effects. GPs are concerned about NSAIDrelated GI toxicity, perceiving > 50% of their patients to be at moderate/high risk of serious GI side-effects, but there is a lack of awareness of some of the established risk factors. Conclusions: Variations in GP management of OA exist, related to use of physical therapies and first-line pharmacological management. Although there is universal concern about NSAID toxicity, there is a lack of awareness amongst GPs of some established risk factors or how side effects may present. Disclosure: This work was supported by an educational grant from Pharmacia/Pfizer