Evidence-based practice (EBP) is integral in the health care system whether in developed or developing countries. Thus, all health professionals need to be trained in EBP. An EBP training program was conducted to health professionals in a developing country, the Philippines. The health professionals (medical doctors and allied health professionals [physical therapists and occupational therapists]) were working in hospitals in Manila, Philippines. The program aimed to build capacity in EBP in terms of knowledge and skills. The EBP training program was conducted as a 1-day face-to-face training. Pre- and post-test measures of EBP knowledge and skills were taken prior to and immediately after the 1-day training, using the Fresno test of evidence-based medicine for the medical doctors and the Adapted Fresno test for the allied health professionals. The EBP training program resulted in significant improvements in knowledge and skills for both the medical doctors (change in pre- and post-Fresno test measures, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 14.6–23.5; P≤0.05) and the allied health professionals (change in pre- and post-Adapted Fresno test measures, 95% CI: 32.7–38.5; P≤0.05). The EBP training conducted amongst the health professionals is an effective and tested undertaking in introducing EBP in developing countries such as the Philippines.

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The optimum treatment for osteoarthritis is a combination of education, medication, weight reduction, and exercise. However, the adherence to exercise decreases with treatment duration. This study aims at determining the effectiveness of a home exercise program in patients with knee osteoarthritis delivered through a brochure or videotape to improve compliance, pain and function; and also in the reduction of paracetamol intake. Type of study This is a single-blind, randomized, controlled study in a home setting. Participants One hundred and two participants with knee osteoarthritis were included in the study. Intervention: The participants were randomly assigned into video and brochure groups and instructed to perform the exercises for six months. They were evaluated for one month during the program and immediately after the end of the intervention. Outcome measures were pain using the Visual Analog Scale, modifi ed Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), compliance, and paracetamol intake. Results There were signifi cant improvements in all outcome measures from baseline to one and six months in both groups. However, there was no signifi cant difference between the mean change in all the outcome measures except for the mean change in the distance walked in the 6MWT at one and six months, which was signifi cantly higher in the brochure group. Compliance to exercise and paracetamol intake decreased from one to six months in both treatment arms but was not statistically different for both groups. Conclusion The provision of a home exercise program using either video or brochure could be effective in the management of osteoarthritis.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease affecting the aging Filipino population. Outcome measure tools are used to assess a patient's health status for the quality of care improvement. With the increasing prevalence of knee osteoarthritis, it warrants the need to conduct a clinical audit to identify the most common outcome measure tools used by Filipino Physical Therapists. Objectives: To determine the outcome measure tools used by Filipino Physical Therapists in assessing knee osteoarthritis in hospitals and clinics and compare it to the current global standard of assessment. Methods: A retrospective record audit study design was used to determine the current assessment tool compared with standards of assessment. Results: Of the 45 of 285 charts reviewed, 80% were females and 73.33%, aged older than 60 years. The following were examination tools used by Physical Therapists: In Subjective; a. pain score (97.77%), b Functional status (80%), and c. stiffness (4.44%). In Objective; a. ocular inspection and palpation(97.77%), b. range of motion and manual muscle testing (93.33%), c. posture (48.89%), d. special tests (33.33%), e. gait analysis (71.11%), and f. Functional assessment (91.11%). Physical Therapists did not use Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Short Form-36 (SF-36), and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) outcome measures for assessing knee osteoarthritis. Conclusion: Physical Therapists did not use standardized outcome measure tools in the assessment for knee osteoarthritis. Thus, the study shows the gap in the assessment for knee osteoarthritis in the Philippines and global standards.