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Follow-up RA care with telemedicine gives outcomes similar to in-person visits

Publish date:: November 23, 2020

Key clinical point: After 12 months, outcome and quality measures were similar for RA patients who used telemedicine as part of their follow-up care vs. in-person only.

Major finding: Changes in the percentage of patients with low disease activity based on Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) scores were not significantly different at 12 months between RA patients who incorporated telemedicine visits into their follow-up care and those who had in-person only visits (25% vs. 29%, P = 0.57).

Study details: The data come from an observational study of 122 adult rheumatoid arthritis patients seen at the Alaska Native Medical Center prior to the COVID-19 pandemic; 59 received in-person only care and 63 had additional telemedicine. Patients completed the RAPID3 at baseline and responded to telephone surveys at 6 and 12 months.

Disclosures: The study was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.

Commentary

“With widespread adoption of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased attention to outcomes related to telemedicine implementation as they affect care of patients with rheumatic disease. This observational study evaluates disease outcomes in RA patients within the Alaska Tribal Health System, in which there has been long-standing use of telemedicine to improve access to rheumatology care. The system described in this paper uses a video telemedicine encounters with a rheumatologist as a supplement to in person care.

Of the 122 patients in the study, 53 used telemedicine over the course of 12 months, and measures of disease activity and functional status were similar between patients who used telemedicine vs those who were in-person only. Mean RAPID3 scores for assessment of RA disease activity as well as the percentage of patients who were categorized as being in a remission or low disease activity state were similar between groups. While wider conclusions as to the effectiveness of telemedicine in RA cannot be extrapolated from this observational study, its findings are promising with regard to the potential for a permanent role post-pandemic for telemedicine in the management of patients with rheumatic disease.”