A Scoping Review of Joint Protection Programs for People with Hand Arthritis

Background: Joint Protection (JP) can be enhanced by incorporating recent evidence and innovations in collaboration with people with hand arthritis to be salient, useful and effectively implemented. Objective: The purpose of this study is to map the current research on JP principles and guide future research on JP programs for the management of hand arthritis. Methods: A search was performed in 4 databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Google SCHOLAR, CINHAL) from January 1990 to February 2017. A Grey literature was also conducted through the Google web search engine. A combination of search terms was used such as hand osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, joint protection and/or self-management strategies. Results: Our search found 8,788 citations in which 231 articles were deemed relevant and after duplication 111 articles were retrieved for a full-text review. In total, 40 articles were eligible for data extraction. The majority of the articles were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews and overviews of reviews that investigated joint protection for hand arthritis. Joint protection was tested mostly in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population and to a lesser extent on hand osteoarthritis and was provided mainly by an occupational therapist. Conclusion: This review synthesized and critically examined the scope of JP for the management of hand arthritis and found that RCTs, systematic reviews and overviews of reviews constituted two-thirds of the current body of literature. Furthermore, it identified a lack of clarity regarding the specific elements of joint protection programs used in clinical studies.