medwireNews: EULAR has released guidance on how healthcare providers can implement self-management strategies for patients with inflammatory arthritis.
“The ability to self-manage in inflammatory arthritis (IA) represents an essential component of care that goes beyond drug therapy and which supports the patient in managing the practical, physical and psychological impacts of disease,” say Elena Nikiphorou (King’s College London, UK) and co-authors.
The recommendations were developed by a multidisciplinary taskforce of 18 experts and patient representatives from 11 countries in Europe, and comprise three overarching principles together with nine specific guidance statements.
Nikiphorou and colleagues say that their guidance is centered around “empowering patients to become active partners of the team and to take a more proactive role,” and highlights the importance of education and self-management interventions including goal setting, problem solving, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
“Adherence to these recommendations will lead to improved patient care and outcomes in people living with IA,” they write in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
The team also identified current unmet needs in self-management strategies, and developed a future research agenda that includes a focus on “the value of patient organisations and information and other resources they can provide to support people with IA, as well as the need to demonstrate and document the effectiveness of specific self-management interventions.”
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