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…
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…
Picture this: It’s 3 o’clock in the morning. You can’t sleep. You settle in front of the television to watch a rerun of Dirty Dancing. And then it hits you: Ask your doctor. Even as your eyelids sag, some part of your primitive forebrain snaps to attention. Medical training has turned us all into multitaskers,…
“Wait. I can explain.” One could imagine this phrase coming up under many conditions in daily life. When I first became a physician, however, I would never have expected to use this phrase in my clinic. In medical school, I was taught the importance of dialogue in establishing a relationship with a patient. Statistics indicate…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Self-monitoring of methotrexate therapy may curb healthcare utilization in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis, according to a new trial. The study indicates “that this novel model of care led to significant reductions in outpatient visits to the (clinical nurse specialist) and a reduction in visits to the GP, while maintaining the…