is gla:d right for your clinic?

If you or your clinic / hospital or organisation is interested in providing the GLA:D Ireland programme, there are a few things to consider, including whether you see patients with OA and whether you, or your staff, have the right qualifications for the programme. You will also need space and equipment to implement the group based programme.

PATIENTS

Is there a need for this program at your clinic/hospital? Do the people you see experience symptoms of hip or knee osteoarthritis? Will your patients be able to access and benefit from this programme? There are a few exclusionary criteria you will want to consider so see ‘How to participate in GLA:D‘ for more information.

To provide the GLA:D Ireland programme, all physiotherapists must complete a training course in order to become a certified GLA:D Ireland instructor. Each site should consider having multiple trained staff to provide the programme. This will allow for coverage if a staff member is unable to provide the programme.

To become certified, individuals must have the

knowledge, skills, ability and scope of practice to:

independently assess patients abilities,
prescribe/progress/modify exercises for participants to meet their individual abilities and their contraindications as appropriate including addressing other chronic diseases,
transition functional exercises to physical activity and activities of daily living.

Information on upcoming courses is available here.

STAFF

RESOURCES

The programme consists of 2-3 group education sessions which includes 2 powerpoint presentations. We recommend having access to a laptop/computer, projector, screen or blank wall space, and seating for all participants.

The programme consists of 12 group exercise sessions taking place twice per week for six weeks. These sessions are 60 minutes in duration and the following equipment.

Space requirement (14m uninterrupted walkway)
Exercise balls
Steps
Therabands of varying resistance
Chairs
Stop watch
Cones
Mats
Optional: cycle ergometer, furniture sliders or plastic bags (if facility floors are carpeted)

CLINICAL AUDIT

A unique feature of the GLA:D programme is the collection of short and long-term patient health outcomes via the GLA:D Ireland National Registry. This data will help researchers, clinicians and policy makers benchmark evidence-based healthcare delivery for osteoarthritis between regions and against other countries implementing GLA:D (e.g. Denmark, Canada, Australia, Switzerland etc.). It will help us to decide what an optimal programme looks like and clinic-level anonymised data can be shared for clinical audit purposes.