Standards of Care for RA Across Europe - The Patient Perspective

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Level of implementation of the new Standards of Care for management of Rheumatoid Arthritis across Europe - the patient perspective

• IRAS ID

  202056

• Contact name

  Suzanne Verstappen

• Contact email

  suzanne.verstappen@manchester.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  The University of Manchester

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a prevalent musculoskeletal condition in Europe. However, treatment and care for RA patients is not standardized throughout Europe. As part of a European project named “The European Musculoskeletal Conditions Surveillance and Information Network” (eumusc.net), a document of 16 recommendations has been produced to enable RA patients to have a better understanding of what standards of care they should expect to receive. This document is entitled Standards of Care for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis (SOC) - http://www.eumusc.net/myUploadData/files/RA_Patient_Version_FINAL[1].pdf.

  The study proposed in this application forms part of a wider research project (all 47 European countries have been invited to take part), initiated by Maastricht University, which has three aims:

  1) To understand the level of implementation of the SOC across Europe from the perspective of the patient
  2) To understand which recommendations listed in the SOC are most important to the patient, and whether these differ according to patient characteristics
  3) To explore whether RA patients would find a supportive patient tool based on the SOC useful for the self-management of their Rheumatoid Arthritis

  To accomplish this two questionnaires have been developed. The first asks the participant to rate the extent they currently receive each of the 16 recommendations in the SOC, as well as how important that particular aspect of care is to them. The second seeks to understand how important self-management of their disease is to the patient.

  50 RA patients will be recruited at routine arthritis clinics or follow up visits at NHS sites in the UK. Interested participants will be given a pack containing an invitation/information letter, the questionnaires, and a consent form. If they are willing to take part, the patient will complete the consent form and questionnaires, and return in a pre-paid envelope to the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, University of Manchester.

• REC name

  South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  16/SW/0210

• Date of REC Opinion

  24 Aug 2016

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion