Nigeria, Aug. 28 -- Osteoarthritis is the most common joint problem all over the world. It most often affects middle aged to elderly people but most are older than 60 years. It affects all joints, particularly the weight bearing joints like the hip and knee. In Nigeria, the most frequently affected joint is the knee, followed by the hip.

Many treatment programmes have been proven effective in the management of osteoarthritis. These range from physiotherapy to pharmacotherapy and surgery. Measuring the effectiveness of the treatments ensures optimal management, which is the most important part of clinical decision making.

One way to measure the effectiveness of treatments is outcome assessment. This is a measure of the consequences of th...