Patients newly diagnosed with a rheumatic disease may have difficulty coping and require help beyond the rheumatology clinic. A licensed psychologist can help these patients manage their anxiety and depression through counseling…

Patients newly diagnosed with a rheumatic disease may have difficulty coping and require help beyond the rheumatology clinic. A licensed psychologist can help these patients manage their anxiety and depression through counseling…
With advanced training and education, a clinical nurse specialist can be a valuable member of a patient’s healthcare team and a rheumatologist’s practice, acting as an extension of the rheumatologist to ensure a patient’s needs are met…
Patients with rheumatic disease require a team of specialists working together to meet the patient’s needs. Social workers can advocate for these patients and play a variety of other roles to help them manage their disease…
Patient-centered care requires increased communication and a proactive patient. But how does it benefit a rheumatology practice? According to Stanford Shoor, MD, patient-centered care offers a team-based approach that can improve satisfaction in care and positively affect RA-specific outcomes…
Larry Beresford |
SAN DIEGO—At the ACR/ARHP 2017 Annual Meeting Nov. 3–8, a session on how to promote shared decision making with patients highlighted the role of the multidisciplinary professional team. And perhaps just as importantly, it noted the importance of providers recognizing their own implicit biases, which can get in the way of shared decision making. Presenters…
David I. Daikh, MD, PhD |
Persistent Challenges Sometimes the challenges seem neverending. In addition to the rigors of our daily lives as rheumatology health professionals—growing administrative burdens, increasing pressures to fund research and achieve balance in family and personal lives—we face a growing number of challenges related to the rapidly escalating prices of rheumatology treatments. Even more unfortunately, these costs…
Patients with severe RA can struggle with walking, getting dressed, carrying items and more, all of which can negatively affect their quality of life. But according to Bharat Kumar, MD, service dogs can help RA patients by providing both physical and emotional support, aiding patient mobility and quality of life…
Sara M. Rothberger, PhD, Linda S. Ehrlich-Jones, RN, PhD, & Christine A. Pellegrini, PhD |
The Case A 58-year-old patient with knee osteoarthritis has been decreasing her physical activity over the past several years due to painful joints, which has resulted in significant weight gain. At her appointment, you encourage her to engage in more physical activity and eat a well-balanced diet. A few weeks later, the patient returns to…
Larry Beresford |
SAN DIEGO—Exercise, within limits imposed by an individual’s circumstances, is an almost universally beneficial medical therapy. In fact, Teresa J. Brady, PhD, senior behavioral scientist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Arthritis Program, labeled it “medicine” in a session on exercise at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Nov. 3–8. Dr. Brady asked whether…
SAN DIEGO—Rheumatologists who treat lupus patients gleaned tips on diagnosis and management of renal disease, painful neuropathies and alopecia at a “Curbside Consults” session held Nov. 6 at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego. Membranous Lupus Nephritis Patients with refractory membranous lupus nephritis (MLN), or Class V lupus nephritis, face “significant morbidity, most of…