Understanding rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) is an understandably tall order for the lay public, what with the huge number of conditions and the complex—and often little understood—processes involved. Now, a working group of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the ACR has set out to try to correct this problem with a definition…
I am an alien rheumatologist. Are you? One in five rheumatology fellows is considered an alien. Under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 22 Chapter I Subchapter G Part 62 Subpart B Section 62.27, an alien physician is a foreign national who is a graduate of a school of medicine who comes to the U.S….
Rheumatological diseases can be complex, so how can those within the specialty help ensure information about rheumatology shared by the media is accurate? Cue the ACR/ARHP Experts on Call program, which is designed to connect rheumatology health professionals with journalists looking for subject matter experts. Experts on Call is managed by the ACR’s Public Relations…
When Jeanne Scott first entered nursing school, she planned to become a women’s health nurse practitioner. She was not expecting her final clinical placement in rheumatology to change the entire course of her career. “Truthfully, I did not understand what rheumatology practitioners did until this introduction to the field,” says Ms. Scott, who describes being…
The past five years have been busier than usual for the Churg-Strauss syndrome. It was renamed eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA).1 Longitudinal cohorts totaling 484 patients—approximately as many as all previous series combined—were described.2,3 A proposal was advanced to remove and rename a subset in which vasculitis may not be present.4 And shortly after the…
Technology in medicine is no longer new or trendy. It’s pervasive. Rheumatologists may now assume a patient has searched online for information about his or her diagnosis or potential therapies. Both physicians and rheumatology health professionals should acknowledge their patients’ Internet surfing and find out what they’ve read, says Betsy Roth-Wojcicki, RN, MS, CPNP, an…
Fifteen women and men seated around a conference table in a New York City hospital listen intently to one of their peers. A 40-year-old elementary school teacher shares her challenges related to the intersection of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the responsibilities of a demanding job.* With the support and counsel of fellow group members, the…
Each fall, the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting takes place in a major U.S. city. More than 15,000 people fill the cavernous halls of the area convention center and nearby hotels to attend scientific and educational sessions, scan the latest data on posters and mingle with colleagues at the annual Presidents’ Reception. What most attendees may not…
Through much of the 20th century, dedicated rheumatic disease units were found in hospitals across the U.S. and countries around the world. In the latter part of the century, this began to change, with hospitals moving toward the consult model of care for rheumatic patients. This change reflects larger shifts in the medical world toward…
Many rheumatology patients have complex conditions and require the added expertise of colleagues in other fields, such as pulmonology, neurology or dermatology. This is even more true when patients with complex care issues are referred to academic medical centers. At such centers, patients often travel hours for an appointment and see more than one provider….