Nonetheless, patterns have improved in some areas following the issuing of recommendations, including the use of MTX at the right time, Dr. Kvien said. Other areas, such as management of gout, need much improvement.
At Dr. Kvien’s center, the rheumatology department at Diakonhjemmet Hospital in Norway, a system of evaluating cardiac risk in patients with rheumatic diseases—in a preventive cardio-rheuma clinic—has been put into place in response to recommendations. This clinic has led to reduced risk, he said.
“I think this is a good example of how recommendations have been introduced into clinical practice, and I am quite certain that this is really benefiting patients regarding cardiac comorbidity and, perhaps, mortality,” Dr. Kvien said. “I think management recommendations will contribute to improved quality of care—if implemented into clinical practice.”
Thomas R. Collins is a freelance writer living in South Florida.
Reference
- Gvozdenovic E, Allaart CF, van der Heijde D, et al. When rheumatologists report that they agree with a guideline, does this mean that they practise the guideline in clinical practice? Results of the International Recommendation Implementation Study (IRIS). RMD Open. 2016 Apr 28;2(1):e000221. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2015-000221. eCollection 2016.