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Dr. de Thurah described two projects she has been involved with in the rheumatology telehealth space. The first applies an algorithm to patient-reported outcome measures and laboratory study results to determine if and when patients with rheumatoid arthritis should be scheduled for a visit with their rheumatologist.
The second project is a telehealth program for patients with gout in which patients referred by their primary care provider are seen via telehealth by a rheumatologist to develop a treatment plan. The program then assesses patient-reported outcomes and allows for drug titration, education and counseling from nurses over several months. If patients can demonstrate two serum urate levels of less than or equal to 0.36 mmol/L in a three-month period, they can be referred back to their primary care provider for ongoing management.
In Sum
These projects and all the topics discussed in the session were innovative and eyeopening. The session clearly demonstrated that understanding and addressing health literacy is of great importance, not only in the field of rheumatology, but also across all specialties in medicine.
