Doctors and patient advocates urged the rheumatology community to address the drastic inadequacies in care faced by marginalized people in a session held at ACR Convergence 2024.
Can Reconsidering Our Relationship to Time Help Keep Us Present?
“I circled 30 minutes … but it feels more like five hours getting ready for work Monday to Friday and only 15 minutes in a hot bath on weekends,” my patient relayed to me. Greg (name changed, obviously) is an ambitious young professional who has axial spondyloarthritis. He’s also a really funny guy with a…
The Importance of Health Literacy in Clinical Care
EULAR 2023—It is not enough to practice medicine by the book; rather, communication with patients and understanding their goals for patients are vital to high-quality care. At EULAR 2023, the session titled The Promise of Health Literacy in Clinical Care provided a treasure trove of insights for many clinicians. Definitions & Actions The first speaker…
3 AC&R Study Summaries: Fractures in Patients with SSc, Clinical Response in JIA, & TV & the Public Perception of Gout
Fractures in Patients with SSc By Zsuzsanna McMahan, MD, MHS Why was this study done? To minimize disability due to systemic sclerosis (SSc), it’s important to prevent and manage complications. Many SSc complications and related medications may increase the risk for osteoporosis and fracture. We sought to identify modifiable risk factors for fracture in patients…
What Patients with Lupus Want You to Know
During a series of interviews with patients who have systemic lupus erythematosus, issues related to medication side effects, supplement use, depression and support groups arose, as well as concerns about race and activities of daily living. The interviews gave me a better understanding of what patients with lupus wish their physicians knew. I am grateful…
Patient Education Materials for Non-English Speakers
Recently, the Vasculitis Foundation, in collaboration with a group of physicians and vasculitis investigators in the U.S. and Latin America (i.e., Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina), launched an educational series of videos in Spanish called, Aprendiendo de Vasculitis. “The goal of these videos is to provide education to all Spanish-speaking patients,” explains Sebastian E….
A Live Patient Experience in Medical School Can Boost Interest in, and Knowledge of, Rheumatology
After intense academic classroom studies, University of Nebraska College of Medicine students in Omaha are able to put what they are learning in practice through the university’s Live Patient Experience (LPE) program, led by the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology. The LPE gives students real-life experience with patients and can serve as motivation to consider…