Typical clinical assessments did not capture the everyday experience of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a recent study that sought to explore the perspectives and experiences of patients with RA whose assessments of their disease differ from those of their rheumatology care provider. A total of 20 adult patients with RA with patient‐provider discordance at their most recent rheumatology appointment (within 4 weeks) were recruited. Discordance was defined by an absolute difference of ≥25 between patient and provider global assessments on a visual analog scale (VAS) of disease activity. For descriptive purposes, participants completed the Health Assessment Questionnaire II, pain VAS, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression scale. Interviews were conducted in person and individually with each patient with a semi-structured interview guide. Researchers found that 6 major themes emerged from the patient interviews describing patient‐provider discordance and disease assessment:

• being misunderstood by others,
• limitations of provider assessments,
• discrepancy with provider findings,
• inadequate active listening on the part of health care providers,
• unmet psychosocial needs, and
• lack of patient empowerment.