Impact of rheumatoid arthritis in Turkey: A questionnaire study
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Date
2014
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Abstract
Objective: Unmet needs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients regarding physician/patient communication, treatment preferences and quality of life issues were investigated in a Turkish survey study. Methods: The study was conducted with the contribution of 33 rheumatologists, and included 519 RA patients. The study population included patients who had been on biologic therapy for >6 months and were still receiving biologic therapy (BT group), and those who were biologic naive, but found eligible for biologic treatment (NBT group). Of the RA patients, 35.5% initially had a visit to an internal disease specialist, 25.5% to a physical therapy and rehabilitation specialist, and 12.2% to a rheumatology specialist for their RA complaints. The diagnosis of RA was made by a rheumatologist in 48.2% of patients. Results: The majority of RA patients (86.3%) visit their doctor within 15-week intervals. Most of the physician-patient communication focused on disease symptoms (99.0%) and impact of the disease on quality of life (61.8%). The proportion of RA patients who perceived their health status as good/very good/excellent was higher in the BT group than in the NBT group (74.3% vs. 51.5%, p<0.001). However, of those RA patients in the NBT group, only 24.8% have been recommended to start a biologic treatment by their doctors. With respect to dose frequency options, once-monthly injections were preferred (80%) to a bi-weekly injection schedule (8%). Conclusion: In conclusion, RA patients receiving biologic therapy reported higher rates of improved symptoms and better quality of life and seemed to be more satisfied with their treatment in our study. © Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2014.
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Keywords
Adult , Antirheumatic Agents , Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Attitude of Health Personnel , Biological Products , Communication , Drug Administration Schedule , Female , Health Care Surveys , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Needs Assessment , Patient Preference , Patient Satisfaction , Patients , Perception , Physician-Patient Relations , Quality of Life , Questionnaires , Severity of Illness Index , Time Factors , Treatment Outcome , Turkey , adalimumab , corticosteroid , etanercept , infliximab , leflunomide , methotrexate , nonsteroid antiinflammatory agent , acupuncture , adult , alternative medicine , article , biological therapy , communication skill , controlled study , DAS28 , doctor patient relation , female , health status , health survey , human , human impact (environment) , major clinical study , male , medical specialist , patient preference , physiotherapy , priority journal , quality of life , questionnaire , rehabilitation , rheumatoid arthritis , rheumatology , Turkey (republic)