The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Collaborative Interventions Can Improve Sjögren Syndrome Patients’ Daily Lives

Collaborative Interventions Can Improve Sjögren Syndrome Patients’ Daily Lives

September 27, 2018 • By Carina Stanton

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Functional ability, engaging in self-care and daily interaction with others can be difficult for patients living with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Research conducted by Katie L. Hackett, BSc(Hons), MSc, PhD, Northumbria University and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, U.K., and colleagues on behalf of the United Kingdom Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Registry sought to uncover the key barriers and priorities to participation in daily living activities for SS patients.

You Might Also Like
  • Sjögren’s Syndrome Moves into the Spotlight
  • Patient Fact Sheet: Sjögren’s Syndrome
  • Sjögren’s Syndrome: Beyond Dryness
Also By This Author
  • Providers & Patients Talk to Legislators about Telehealth, Workforce Shortage

“Patients, firstly, want to be taken seriously and, secondly, want support to manage their symptoms themselves,” according to the study’s findings.1 In her work as an associate professor of occupational therapy and clinical academic occupational therapist, Dr. Hackett investigates complex interventions in chronic disease.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

For the study, funded by Arthritis Research UK, the United Kingdom Occupational Therapy Research Foundation and The Constance Owens Trust, Dr. Hackett and her colleagues sought the input of SS patients, their family members and medical providers, to develop a comprehensive view of the barriers that make it difficult for SS patients to take charge of their daily lives and well-being.

Using group concept mapping, multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis, the researchers distilled 463 ideas from study participants down to 94 statements. These statements were categorized by order of participant-noted priority:

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE
  • Patient empowerment;
  • Symptoms;
  • Well-being;
  • Access and coordination of healthcare;
  • Knowledge and support;
  • Public awareness and support; and
  • Friends and family.

Dr. Hackett says stakeholders agreed that three main interventions—considering more symptoms, collaborative support and understanding needs from different perspectives—were the most important to help SS patients live their fullest lives.

1. Consider a Broader Range of Symptoms
Rheumatologists need to ask patients about a wide range of complications and dryness symptoms, as well as pain, fatigue and disturbed sleep. These additional symptoms—as well as dryness—are priorities for patients she says. “By providing patients opportunities to access appropriate support to better self-manage these symptoms, we may be able to [have a] positive impact on patients’ quality of life and on their ability to better participate in their daily activities.”

2. Provide Collaborative Support Opportunities
“Good communication between different clinicians is essential, because the needs of each patient are unique, and any patient may require access to different types of support at different times,” Dr. Hackett says.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Patients in the study stressed the value of a “one-stop clinic,” where all relevant healthcare professionals are available. “If this were a reality, one may expect that the number of appointments and clinic visits could be reduced for patients, decreasing this burden. In turn, this would facilitate communication between different members of the care team,” she says.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions Tagged With: communication, patient care, physician-patient communication, Sjögren's syndrome

You Might Also Like:
  • Sjögren’s Syndrome Moves into the Spotlight
  • Patient Fact Sheet: Sjögren’s Syndrome
  • Sjögren’s Syndrome: Beyond Dryness
  • Changes in ICD-10 for Sjögren’s Syndrome

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)