The number of practicing rheumatologists varies greatly by region in the U.S., they wrote. There can be more than two rheumatologists per 100,000 people in highly populated areas, but in more rural regions, it can drop to as low as 1.5 rheumatologists per 1 million people. The numbers are falling, and shortages are expected to worsen, to 0.5 to 1.0 rheumatologist per 100,000 people in a large majority of the U.S. expected by 2025.
They say they hope the guidance serves a dual purpose: helping communicate the need for more research, given that effective treatments are unavailable for so many disorders, and helping patients have ready access to treatments made available with recent advances.
“We hope the description of RMDs provided in this report will enable improved communication about and advocacy for these conditions and the patients who suffer from them,” wrote Dr. van der Heijde and her colleagues.
Thomas R. Collins is a freelance writer living in South Florida.
References
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- van der Heijde D, Daikh DI, Betteridge N, et al. Common language description of the term rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) for use in communication with the lay public, healthcare providers and other stakeholders endorsed by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Ann Rheum Dis. 2018 Jun;77(6):829–832.
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