Intervention
During the waiting period between referral and surgical consultation, the intervention group received a multimodal occupational therapy intervention in line with recommended first-line treatment.The control group received usual care, which generally means staying on the waiting list for consultation in specialist healthcare, that is, receiving no treatment in specialist healthcare. For the purpose of this study, the control group were assessed at the hospital at baseline and all follow-up time points by an OT. They received general written and oral information about hand OA. The control group had the same possibility as the intervention group to ask questions and be given advice.If necessary, patients in both groups could independently seek treatment in primary healthcare, such as a consultation with general practitioner or other healthcare personnel (this information was collected as part of this study). Both groups had a surgical consultation with a medical specialist approximately 4 months after the baseline assessment. All patients paid a deductible for the assessment consultations (a maximum of €259 per year).