Cognitive Bias and Heuristics in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

This study aims to understand if certain cognitive biases and heuristics are present in patients with knee osteoarthritis being treated with open label placebo (saline injections in the knee). A predefined survey will investigate the affect heuristic and group interviews patients who have responded well or not so well respectively will be used to examine if other cognitive biases or heuristics are present.

Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, while heuristics are tactics, or mental shortcuts to aid in the decision-making process.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Knee Osteoarthritis Arthritis Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis, Knee Rheumatic Diseases

Age range

50 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Bispebjerg-Frederiksberg Hospital

Copenhagen, 2000, Denmark

About this study

Cognitive biases (systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment) and heuristics (tactics, or mental shortcuts to aid in the decision-making process) are increasingly being used in healthcare to facilitate good health decisions, improved care, and in designing new interventions.It has also been shown that cognitive biases influence how patients rate their own health.

Less is known about which specific cognitive biases and/or heuristics that are in play when patients with knee osteoarthritis form their treatment expectations and evaluate their health following an intervention.

This study aims to understand if certain cognitive biases and heuristics are present in patients with knee (OA) being treated with open label intra-articular placebo injections.

Understanding which cognitive biases and/or heuristics that are in play when these patients evaluate their health outcome following open label placebo, allows future treatment context to be designed in a way that actively utilises these cognitive biases and/or heuristics to obtain a greater magnitude of response.

A global predefined questionnaire, evaluating the presence and strength of the affect heuristic, is sent to all participants from the study "Reinforcement of Treatment Response in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomised Trial" (Clinical trial.gov registration: NCT05225480). In addition investigators will invite responders and non-responders respectively from the same study to group interviews in order to produce a structured conceptualisation map; the group content mapping method.

Who can participate

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Have participated in the study "Reinforcement of Treatment Response in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomised Trial" (Clinical trial.gov registration: NCT05225480)

Exclusion criteria

Have not participated in the study "Reinforcement of Treatment Response in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomised Trial" (Clinical trial.gov registration: NCT05225480)

Treatment and study plan

Saline

Other

Open label intra-articular injection of isotonic saline.

Primary outcomes

Concept maps.

Time frame: The GCM sessions are carried out approximately 1 year and 2 months after baseline.

Using the Group Concept Mapping (GCM) method investigators will generate concept maps from non-responders and responders respectively, from participants from the study "Reinforcement of Treatment Response in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomised Trial" (Clinical trial.gov registration: NCT05225480)

Responders are defined as the those patients that had the largest change (4th quartile) to the pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (0-100mm). Non-responders are defined as the 1st quartile (least change).

GCM is a formal group process using a structured approach to identify ideas on a topic of interest and organise them into domains based on a mixed-method participatory design that incorporates group processes and multivariate statistical analyses (multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis).

Using the concept maps and statements, investigators will assess similarities with known cognitive biases or heuristics.

Secondary outcomes

Strength of the affect heuristic in patients with knee OA

Time frame: The questionnaire is administered approximately 1 year and 4 months after baseline.

Using a questionnaire tool investigators will asses the strength of the affect heuristic with participants from from the study "Reinforcement of Treatment Response in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomised Trial" (Clinical trial.gov registration: NCT05225480).

The strength of the affect heuristic is expressed via the correlation coefficient which ranges from (-1 to 1) and the 95% confidence interval.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Frederiksberg University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2023
Primary completion: 2023
Study completion: 2023
First posted: Jun 12, 2023
Registry last updated: Mar 15, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed