Implications for patients? Societal beliefs about gout affect patients because they may receive inaccurate advice about management strategies from family and friends. Embarrassment about gout can lead to a sense of stigma and reluctance to seek medical therapy. Accurately depicting gout may help the family and community of a patient support them in their treatment plan.
Implications for clinicians? Discussing common misconceptions with patients and their families and providing patients with access to accurate educational material about gout may encourage patients to agree and adhere to urate-lowering therapy.
The study: Murdoch R, Mihov B, Horne AM, et al. Impact of television depictions of gout on perceptions of illness: A randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2023 Apr 11. doi: 10.1002/acr.25130.
