Within 10 years of diagnosis, 23–45% of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease may become unemployed due to disease-related disability. Intervention programs may be necessary to prevent this work loss. New research examined if a vocational rehabilitation program delivered by occupational and physical therapists can benefit this patient population…
Video Education: Patient Outreach Effort Offers Education about Cardiovascular Risks
Experts in rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular health and education have joined forces to create a video intervention designed to help patients understand their risks for heart attack and stroke, as well as how to reduce these risks. Early research into this educational intervention shows the video is effective…
The Diagnosis: How to Advise Newly Diagnosed RA Patients
Receiving an RA diagnosis may be emotional and difficult for patients. By engaging the patient in learning about the disease and its treatment options, as well as cultivating a communicative relationship, rheumatologists can truly help a patient take control of their health…
Medical Jargon May Cloud Doctor-Patient Communication
(Reuters Health)—When patients misunderstand commonly used medical terms, communication and decision-making may suffer, U.K. researchers say. In a survey of London oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic patients, more than a third of participants did not know the meaning of such terms as benign or lesion and more than half could not define metastasis or lymph…
Online Risk Calculator for Knee OA Influences Patient Risk Perception
A new tool for assessing the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis (OA) may be useful for knee OA education. A recent study found the online risk calculator, OA Risk C, was effective in helping patients better understand their personal risk of developing the disease. It may also motivate some patients to embrace exercise-related behavior changes…
How to Fuel Engaged Patient Dialogue
“Too often, a patient may feel too intimidated to ask a question,” says Ara Dikranian, MD. Here are considerations and communication techniques rheumatologists can use to encourage greater patient understanding and engagement…
In-Office Pharmacist Improves Patient Care
Would your patients and practice benefit from an on-site pharmacist? Jessica Farrell, PharmD, says a pharmacist enhances patient education and frees up a rheumatologist’s time, enabling them to see more patients and provide better all-around care…
How Gout Patients Can Stay on Target with the Go for Six Campaign
Gout patients need to lower their uric acid levels to 6.0 mg/dL or below and maintain that level. According to N. Lawrence Edwards, MD, MACP, MACR, an education campaign has been raising awareness of this fact and helping gout patients…
Gout Treatment & Care Remain Suboptimal
A recent analysis compared the care of patients with RA with that received by patients with gout, finding that hospitalization and costs for patients with gout have increased, but both are decreasing for patients with RA. Unlike RA, significant advances in treatment have not been made for gout, despite its increasing prevalence, and patients may land in the hospital unnecessarily…
E-Health, Telemedicine Pose Challenges, Offer Benefits for Patients with Arthritis
(Reuters Health)—As more and more sick patients are going online and using social media to search for answers about their health, it’s raising a lot of thorny ethical questions for doctors. “The internet and ready access to vast amounts of information are now permanent aspects of how we live our lives, including how we think…