Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
RA Telephone Education Program is Well Received
Musculoskeletal Care; ePub 2018 Dec 5; Farley, et al
A recent preliminary project successfully implemented an educational program that included a nurse‐facilitated, rheumatoid arthritis (RA)‐specific, telephone call and toolkit. This educational program could be a model for similar educational efforts by other clinics. Researchers conducted a pilot project of newly diagnosed adult RA patients between November 2015 and December 2016. A rheumatology clinic nurse telephoned patients to offer disease education and a toolkit was later mailed to patients. Measures included call attempts, call time, a qualitative description of free‐text notes and the proportion of patients who adhered to their next clinic visit. Data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. Highlights included:
- 26 patients participated in the nurse calls.
- Most patients were female (65%), with a median age of 54 years (range 22–78 years).
- Median call length was 14.5 min, with a range of 8–23 min.
- Qualitative notes indicated that patients overwhelmingly supported the nurse calls.
- 19 patients (73%) were adherent to their follow‐up visit.
Farley S, Libman B, Edwards M, Possidente CJ, Kennedy AG. Nurse telephone education for promoting a treat‐to‐target approach in recently diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis patients: A pilot project. [Published online ahead of print December 5, 2018]. Musculoskeletal Care. doi:10.1002/msc.1376.
Many patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are overwhelmed by the diagnosis, afraid of its potential to cause disability and fearful of the side effects of the powerful medications used to treat it. This study describes an educational intervention for patients with newly diagnosed RA where a nurse telephones them within 6 months of diagnosis, following a script that emphasizes patients’ understanding of their diagnosis, its chronicity, usefulness of tracking symptoms, functional improvements, when to call the clinic, and the importance of follow-up appointments. In addition, a 6-page toolkit is mailed to patients that includes a simple RA symptom-tracking form and educational information about treat-to-target management. Patients reported that the calls were helpful and 73% completed the next scheduled follow-up visit. Rheumatologists should consider this relatively simple educational program that is likely to enhance patient care and expedite office visits.—Harold E. Paulus, M.D.; Emeritus Professor; University of California, Los Angeles; Division of Rheumatology.