Dr. Edwards also advises physicians to point patients to GUAES’ website, GoutEducation.org, for more gout information and advice. Eleven years ago, he and H. Ralph Schumacher Jr., MD, a rheumatologist, originally started the website as an educational resource for patients.
“Physicians should also be aware that four years ago, GUAES’ website expanded to contain a link to ACR’s Guidelines for the Management of Gout. It details the clinical guidelines and research that support keeping uric acid levels to below 6.0,” he says. It also contains information on new research.
In the two years since the campaign launched, it has reached 374 million people online and through other media outreach, social media and medical conferences. In addition, traffic to GoutEducation.org has increased significantly (29%) since the campaign began, reinforcing that more gout patients are turning to GUAES for information and resources. With these statistics in mind, Dr. Edwards views the Go for Six campaign as a success.
Karen Appold is a medical writer in Pennsylvania.
References
- Khanna D, Fitzgerald JD, Khanna PP, et al. 2012 American College of Rheumatology guidelines for management of gout. Part 1: Systematic nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapeutic approaches to hyperuricemia. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2012 Oct;64(10):1431–1446.
- Khanna D, Khanna PP, Fitzgerald JD, et al. 2012 American College of Rheumatology guidelines for management of gout. Part 2: Therapy and antiinflammatory prophylaxis of acute gouty arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2012 Oct;64(10):1447–1461.
