In addition to the impediments to consistent, high-quality care suffered by all incarcerated individuals, incarcerated patients with rheumatic disease face challenges specific to the treatment, management & monitoring of rheumatic conditions.
Ethics Forum: Mitigation Tips for Health Disparities Among Rural & Indigenous Peoples
A common case scenario in our practice in North Dakota is a woman with rheumatoid arthritis on methotrexate monotherapy. She is a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate people and lives 90 miles from our rheumatology clinic. She currently has moderate disease activity, indicating the need for additional treatment. She does not have her own…
Mind the Gap: Working to Reduce Healthcare Disparities in Pediatric Rheumatology
Experts addressed how changes in research & clinical care can improve outcomes for children experiencing healthcare disparities during a session at the 2023 Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium.
More Equal Care: The Power of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Rheumatology
Diversity, equity and inclusion have implications for pediatric patient care and the rheumatology workforce.
Study Shows Psoriatic Arthritis Impacts Women More Than Men
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has a higher life impact on women than men, suggesting the need to include life impact as part of the treat-to-target strategy for PsA. This is the finding of a recently published study by Orbai et al., which found female sex independently linked to high PsA life impact.1 The Study The study…
2020 Pediatric Rheumatology Research in Review
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—This has been a busy year for research publications covering a number of pediatric rheumatic diseases, including the emerging multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) associated with SARS CoV-2. Despite the many challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, a healthy collection of publications covering a wide range of pediatric rheumatology research topics were published…
Racial Disparities in Rheumatology: RA, OA & Arthroplasty
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Evidence shows that African Americans have a higher burden of osteoarthritis, with lower use of conventional medications, and are less adherent to the medications they take. They also get arthroplasty procedures less often, and when they do have the procedures, they report greater pain, worse function and lower satisfaction with them. In RA…
Telemedicine Highlights Health Disparities During Pandemic
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the expansion of telemedicine across the U.S., which has opened up access to doctor’s offices for families with limited resources. But at the same time, the health disparity gap could continue to widen unless safeguards are put into place, according to a pair of new editorials. “There…
A Call to Action to Use the Pandemic to Transform Rheumatic Disease Care
No event in recent history has caused such far-reaching changes within the medical industry as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to its ability to spread indiscriminately—infecting people regardless of age, race or socioeconomic background—the virus is inducing immediate and, likely, permanent changes across the entire spectrum of healthcare. Comfortable routines of healthcare delivery have been…
To Bridge Health Disparities, Diagnose Lupus Early & Improve Access
CHICAGO—At the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, rheumatologist project volunteers for the ACR’s Collaborative Initiatives talked about their efforts to educate primary-care providers, patients and families in their communities about systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Their goal is to facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment of lupus, especially in underserved communities. Health Disparities Health disparities, or differences in health…