The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • 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
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • 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 / DMARDs & Biologics Info for Rheumatology Nurses

DMARDs & Biologics Info for Rheumatology Nurses

March 17, 2018 • By Larry Beresford

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
Jarun Ontakrai / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Jarun Ontakrai / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

SAN DIEGO—In a presentation on what rheumatology nurses should know in their daily practice about disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Nov. 3–8, Jessica Farrell, PharmD, highlighted the importance of educating and counseling patients about the range of treatments and applications for rheumatologic conditions. Dr. Farrell, a clinical pharmacist at the Center for Rheumatology in Albany, N.Y., said her clinical practice involves pharmacotherapy consults, drug information and patient/provider education related to DMARD therapies.

You Might Also Like
  • Integrating Immunology and Biologics into Clinical Practice
  • The Impact of Pharma Info vs. Neutral Info on Patients’ Drug Decisions
  • Biologic DMARDs Prove Effective for Psoriatic Arthritis & Combination DMARDs Show Promise for RA
Explore This Issue
March 2018

“What I do every day involves educating my patients and assisting my providers around these medications used in rheumatic disease,” she said. That includes exploring issues of complications and safety, addressing misconceptions and doing “damage control” around misinformation while working with patients face to face and on the telephone.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Farrell outlined the complexities of the immune system and of the medications—small molecules, biologic DMARDs, synthetic DMARDs—used to treat immunologic disorders. There are a variety of targets for these therapies, including pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL) 1, IL-6, IL-17 and IL-12/23, Janus kinase inhibitors, and T cell and B cell modulators, among others.

“There are a lot of questions about these treatments and how to incorporate them into your daily practice,” she said. Different therapies come with different means of administration, some with prefilled syringes, different dosages, different lengths of time to take effect, potential reactions to be managed, the need to rotate injection sites for subcutaneous treatments, and particular concerns regarding storage and preparation of the treatments.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Folic acid therapy can help with some side effects of treatment with methotrexate, such as nausea, and patients should be educated to stop biologic therapies when they become sick, Dr. Farrell said. Other challenges include questions of convenience, for example, patients who are afraid of performing self-injections, although their options may be limited by insurance company policies. Injection-site reactions are common. There are drug interactions to watch for and infection control concerns to consider. Sometimes, patients develop antibodies against a drug, which can cause it not to work as well or cause injection or infusion reactions.

For infection control, she recommended adopting clear policies and procedures, paying close attention to infections particular to the geographic locale and to patients’ travel history. Hand hygiene and cough etiquette are important, as are appropriate screening for hepatitis and tuberculosis and education about the risks of live vaccines. Patients need clear rules of when to stop their treatments and call their physician.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Biologics & Biosimilars, DMARDs & Immunosuppressives, Meeting Reports Tagged With: ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Biologics, DMARDsIssue: March 2018

You Might Also Like:
  • Integrating Immunology and Biologics into Clinical Practice
  • The Impact of Pharma Info vs. Neutral Info on Patients’ Drug Decisions
  • Biologic DMARDs Prove Effective for Psoriatic Arthritis & Combination DMARDs Show Promise for RA
  • Tips, Resources to Help Rheumatologists Educate Patients on Biologics and Biosimilars

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 »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

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 / Cookie Preferences

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

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

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