Virtual reality technology may be a unique and immersive avenue for educating patients on rheumatic conditions and their treatments, with the potential to enable more informed decision making and improve care.

Virtual reality technology may be a unique and immersive avenue for educating patients on rheumatic conditions and their treatments, with the potential to enable more informed decision making and improve care.
Experts addressed how education and follow-up for patients with gout can improve disease management and highlighted the need for a better construction of gout remission.
Misinformation, fear and not having a trusted partner in the medical sector are just a few of the barriers that prevent patients of color from being adequately represented in research and clinical trials for lupus. Experts and patient advocates addressed how to remove these barriers and more during the 2023 ACR Diversification of Clinical Trials Summit.
Katie Robinson |
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….
The following websites offer an abundance of options to help your patients understand their disease and learn to live with it. Several sites offer information in various languages, and for your patients who prefer audio-visual to print, one site has several educational videos. The ACR—Diseases and Conditions: Gout (Web page or PDF available in English…
As a health educator at Integrative Rheumatology, a private practice in Charlotte, N.C., Latisha Williams, MPH, CHES, CHC, works with patients to teach them how to better manage their disease. In the two-and-a-half years that Ms. Williams has worked at Integrative Rheumatology, she’s answered countless questions about exercise, nutrition and complementary therapies, among other topics. “Patients…
Education with recommended first-line care may not improve pain outcomes in patients with acute low back pain. When comparing patients who received education with those who received professional consultation without information or advice, researchers found patient education was no more effective than placebo at reducing depression or incidence of chronic low back pain…
Catherine Kolonko |
Patients who reviewed an industry-sponsored booklet about a commonly used rheumatoid arthritis drug were twice as likely to choose the proposed therapy as were patients who reviewed similar decision-aid material presented in a neutral manner, according to a recent study. Richard Martin, MD, MA, professor of medicine, rheumatology, at Michigan State University College of Human…
Kathy Holliman, MEd |
Videos designed to help patients understand and manage chronic rheumatologic diseases can lead to gains in clarity about the disease duration, symptoms, medications, and the importance of regular visits with a physician. A study published in a recent issue of Arthritis Care & Research looks at the development and impact of three educational videos for…
Arthritis Care & Research |
Within 10 years of diagnosis, 23–45% of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease may become unemployed due to disease-related disability. Intervention programs may be necessary to prevent this work loss. New research examined if a vocational rehabilitation program delivered by occupational and physical therapists can benefit this patient population…