Beyond the Rheumatologist: Interprofessional Alliances Are Crucial to Rheumatic Care

According to Ms. Reed, pharmacists can help develop clinical care plans, educate patients about their medications and even help with prior authorizations for insurance carriers. Physical therapists can help patients manage pain and fatigue, boost endurance and provide devices to protect joints. Psychologists can help with anxiety, depression and treatment adherence. Social workers help with referrals to community resources, help arrange family support and financial assistance, and navigation of the healthcare system.

Ms. Rodriguez

Social Work

Giselle Rodriguez, LCSW, a social worker at the Hospital for Special Surgery New York, delved deeper into the role of social work, describing critical gaps that can be left unfilled if no one steps in.

Social workers offer comprehensive support by providing emotional guidance, counseling, education, advocacy, collaborating with healthcare professionals, sharing coping strategies and extending support to caregivers. They also often broker culturally complex dynamics while assessing and addressing social determinants of health issues.

When healthcare professionals label patients as “difficult or non-compliant,” they may be unaware of the negative effect this language can have on patient trust and overall care from the medical team. Ms. Rodriguez emphasized the importance of leading with empathy and asking probing questions to better understand the barriers patients face in accessing and adhering to care.

“Some of the questions I ask [patients] all the time include: What are some of the barriers to completing this treatment plan or for picking up that medication or for coming to the next visit?” Ms. Rodriguez said.

In this interaction, she may find out the patient has no transportation or someone to take care of their child while they go to a doctor’s visit. Or she may discover that the patient may not have access to a pharmacy in their community.

Rheumatology professionals need to recognize the myriad challenges an individual faces. Ms. Rodriguez underscored the critical role that social workers can play to help address psychosocial and concrete needs that impede the success of the treatment plan. “Validating a person’s emotions, can take you a long way,” she said.

Thomas Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.

Reference

1. Bartlett, SJ, Hewlett S, Bingham CO, et al. Identifying core domains to assess flare in rheumatoid arthritis: an OMERACT international patient and provider combined Delphi consensus. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012 Nov;71(11):1855–1860.