Elevating the role of carers in rheumatoid arthritis management in the Asia-Pacific region.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

Carers may offer valuable insight into the true health status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This multinational, multi-stakeholder, exploratory study in Australia, China and Japan aimed to enrich our understanding of the role and potential impact of carers on RA management.

Method

This study used a 2-phase sequential mixed methods approach involving 3 key stakeholder groups: rheumatologists, RA patients and carers. The first phase involved an in-depth qualitative exploratory survey (n = 30), which informed the development of the subsequent quantitative validation survey (n = 908). In both phases, patients and carers provided self-assessments of disease and support parameters.

Results

In the qualitative phase, patients usually understated the amount of

SUBMITTER: Pile K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7496573 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature