Responses to GP attitude statements derived from the MOVE consensus recommendations21
| MOVE consensus proposition | Attitude statement | (Strongly) disagree | Neither disagree or agree | (Strongly) agree |
| Items relating to the benefits of exercise (number of respondents) | ||||
| Prescription of both general (aerobic fitness training) and local (strengthening) exercises is an essential, core aspect of management for every patient with hip or knee OA | GPs should prescribe quadriceps strengthening exercises to every patient with CKP (n=822) | 8% | 22% | 69% |
| GPs should prescribe general exercise, for example, walking or swimming, for every patient with CKP (n=824) | 3% | 8% | 89% | |
| Both strengthening and aerobic exercise can reduce pain and improve function and health status in patients with knee and hip OA | Knee problems are improved by quadriceps strengthening exercises (n=824) | <1% | 11% | 88% |
| Knee problems are improved by general exercise, for example, walking or swimming (n=824) | 1% | 7% | 93% | |
| There are few contraindications to the prescription of strengthening or aerobic exercise in patients with hip or knee OA | Quadriceps strengthening exercises for the knee are safe for everybody to do (n=821) | 15% | 30% | 56% |
| General exercise, for example, walking or swimming, is safe for everybody to do (n=820) | 13% | 16% | 71% | |
| Exercise works just as well for everybody, regardless of the amount of pain they have (n=823) | 49% | 29% | 22% | |
| The effectiveness of exercise is independent of the presence or severity of radiographic findings | Exercise is effective for patients if an X-ray shows severe knee osteoarthritis (n=822) | 16% | 32% | 52% |
| Improvements in muscle strength and proprioception gained from exercise programmes may reduce the progression of knee and hip OA | Increasing the strength of the muscles around the knee stops the knee problem getting worse (n=824) | 16% | 29% | 55% |
| Increasing the overall activity levels stops the knee problem getting worse (n=822) | 19% | 38% | 43% | |
| Items relating to the delivery of, and adherence to, exercise (number of respondents) | ||||
| Exercise therapy for OA of the hip or knee should be individualised and patient-centred taking into account factors such as age, comorbidity and overall mobility | Exercise for CKP is most beneficial when it is tailored to meet individual patient needs (n=823) | 1% | 9% | 90% |
| A standard set of exercises is sufficient for every patient with chronic knee problems (n=821) | 51% | 36% | 13% | |
| To be effective, exercise programmes should include…advice and education to promote a positive lifestyle change with an increase in physical activity | GPs should educate patients with CKP about how to change their lifestyle for the better (n=823) | 1% | 6% | 93% |
| It is important that people with CKP increase their overall activity levels (n=824) | 1% | 10% | 89% | |
| Adherence is the principal predictor of long-term outcome from exercise in patients with knee or hip OA | How well a patient complies with their exercise programme determines how effective it will be (n=825) | 3% | 11% | 86% |
| Strategies to improve and maintain adherence should be adopted, for example, long-term monitoring/review and inclusion of spouse/family in exercise | GPs should follow-up patients to monitor extent of continuation of exercises (n=823) | 30% | 37% | 34% |
| It is the patient’s own responsibility to continue doing their exercise programme (n=826) | 1% | 6% | 93% | |
Consensus categorised according to: unanimity=100%, consensus=75%–99%, majority view=51–74%, no consensus=0%–50% (19,27).
Maximum missing data for any item were 2%.
CKP, chronic knee pain; GP, general practitioner, OA, osteoarthritis.