Therapist effects in real-world rehabilitation outcomes: a cohort study of the nationwide GLA:D osteoarthritis management programme in Denmark
Authors' conclusion
In a nationally implemented osteoarthritis management programme delivered by trained healthcare professionals, therapist effects made a minimal contribution to variation in patient outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with hip or knee OA (mean (SD) age 65.0 (9.8) years, 71% female) in the GLA:D programme, Denmark, treated by 657 therapists, October 2014–February 2019657 therapists
- Participants
- 23,021 adults
- Outcome
- ≥30% reduction in pain intensity on 0-100 visual analogue scale (VAS); therapist effects estimated as ICC
- Follow-up
- 3 months
Methodological detailsnational multicentre, consecutive eligible adults, two-level random intercept logistic regression, multiply imputed data and complete-case analysis
- National multicentre
- Consecutive eligible adults
- Two-level random intercept logistic regression
- Multiply imputed data and complete-case analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Patients reporting ≥30% reduction in pain intensity
52%
Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), null model
0.007
95% CI 0.005 to 0.009
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Secondary outcomes, ICC upper confidence limits (multiply imputed and complete-case analyses)
- Upper confidence limits for ICC estimates across all secondary outcomes
- <0.03
Original publication
Therapist effects in real-world rehabilitation outcomes: a cohort study of the nationwide GLA:D osteoarthritis management programme in Denmark. RMD Open. Published 24 June 2026. doi:10.
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