Patient Goals for Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Qualitative Study

The role of patient reported symptom data in co-producing meaning in rheumatoid arthritis

RATIONALE

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience a range of symptoms including joint pain and inflammation, stiffness, fatigue, anxiety, and low mood. Similar to patients with other long-term conditions, they may have periods of time when their disease is under control, and times when their condition is less stable, requiring treatment adjustments. The REMORA2 feasibility study explored the implementation of an integrated symptom-tracking system using a smartphone application (app), enabling patients to track day-to-day symptoms. The data was available in the electronic health record to be viewed at subsequent consultations.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This paper explores patients' comments on living with RA, and how patient-reported symptom data supports informed interactions as patients and clinicians work together to coproduce meaning from the data.

METHOD

Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 patients and 7 clinicians, supplemented by nonparticipant observations of 5 clinical appointments. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data from the interviews, with an ethnographic approach used to analyse the observational data.

RESULTS

Both clinicians and patients reported the benefits of reviewing the data in the clinic together. This helped inform decisions about pain management and identified patients who might otherwise have dismissed symptoms such as pain, because of their natural inclination to be stoical.

CONCLUSION

Improved insights on the care of RA were generated as patients and clinicians discuss symptom tracking data. This can assist the patient-clinician dyad in the process of two-way learning and shared decision-making on the management of a long-term condition.

Google Internet searches related to inflammatory arthritis: An observational study using Google Trends data

OBJECTIVE

The Internet has transformed how patients access health information. We examined Google search engine data to understand which aspects of health are most often searched for in combination with inflammatory arthritis (IA).

METHODS

Using Google Trends data (2011-2022) we determined the relative popularity of searches for 'patient symptoms' (pain, fatigue, stiffness, mood, work) and 'treat-to-target' (disease-modifying drugs, steroids, swelling, inflammation) health domains made with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) in the UK/USA. Google Trends normalises searches by popularity over time and region, generating 0-100 scale relative search volumes (RSV; 100 represents the time-point with most searches). Up to five search term combinations can be compared.

RESULTS

In all IA forms, pain was the most popular patient symptom domain. UK/USA searches for pain gave mean RSVs of 58/79, 34/51, and 39/63 with RA, PsA, and AxSpA; mean UK/USA RSVs for other patient symptom domains ranged 2-7/2-8. Methotrexate was the most popular treat-to-target search term with RA/PsA in the UK (mean 28/21) and USA (mean 63/33). For AxSpA, inflammation was most popular (mean UK/USA 9/34). Searches for pain were substantially more popular than searches for methotrexate in RA and PsA, and inflammation in AxSpA. Searches increased over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Pain is the most popular search term used with IA in Google searches in the UK/USA, supporting surveys/qualitative studies highlighting the importance of improving pain to patients with IA. Routine pain assessments should be embedded within treat-to-target strategies to ensure patient perspectives are considered.

Belonging, happiness, freedom and empowerment-a qualitative study of patients' understanding of health in early rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory joint disease, that influences patients' health in different ways, including physical, social, emotional, and psychological aspects. The goal of rheumatology care is to achieve optimal health and personalised care and therefore, it is essential to understand what health means for patients in the early course of RA. The aim of this study was to describe the understanding of health among patients with early RA.

METHODS

The study had a descriptive qualitative design with a phenomenographic approach. Phenomenography is used to analyse, describe, and understand various ways people understand or experience a phenomenon, in this study, patients' understandings of health. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 patients (22 women and nine men, aged (38-80) with early RA, defined as a disease duration of < 1 year, and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for 3-7 months. The phenomenographic analysis was conducted in 7 steps, and the outcome space presents the variation in understanding and the interrelation among categories. In accordance with the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology's (EULAR) recommendations, a patient research partner participated in all phases of the study.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed four main descriptive categories: 'Health as belonging' was described as experiencing a sense of coherence. 'Health as happiness' was understood as feeling joy in everyday life. 'Health as freedom' was understood as feeling independent. 'Health as empowerment' was understood as feeling capable. Essential health aspects in early RA are comprised of a sense of coherence, joy, independence, and the capability to manage everyday life.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that patients' perception of health in early RA encompasses various facets, including a sense of belonging, happiness, freedom, and empowerment. It highlighted that health is multifaceted and personal, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging this diversity in providing person-centred care. The findings can guide healthcare professionals to deepen patients' participation in treatment goals, which may lead to better treatment adherence and health outcomes.

Mobile Health Apps for Patient-Centered Care: Review of United States Rheumatoid Arthritis Apps for Engagement and Activation

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a highly dynamic and individualized disease in terms of its patterns of symptomatic flare-ups and periods of remission. Patient-centered care (PCC) aligns patients' lifestyle goals with their preferences for managing symptoms and side effects through the selection of therapies appropriate for disease management. Mobile health (mHealth) apps have the potential to engage and activate patients in PCC. mHealth apps can provide features that increase disease knowledge, collect patient-generated health indicators and behavioral metrics, and highlight goals for disease management. However, little evidence-based guidance exists as to which apps contain functionality essential for supporting the delivery of PCC.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the patient-centeredness of United States-based rheumatoid arthritis mobile apps in terms of patient engagement and activation.

METHODS

A search of mobile apps on 2 major United States app stores (Apple App Store and Google Play) was conducted from June 2020 to July 2021 to identify apps designed for use by patients with RA by adapting the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines for mobile health app screening based on the literature. Reviewers conducted a content analysis of mobile app features to evaluate their functionality for patient engagement and activation. Engagement and activation were assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and social cognitive theory, respectively. Apps were ranked by their ability to facilitate PCC care along 2 dimensions: engagement and activation.

RESULTS

A total of 202 mobile apps were initially identified, and 20 remained after screening. Two apps emerged with the greatest ability to facilitate PCC. Both apps were scored as having acceptable or good patient engagement according to the MARS. These 2 apps also had high patient activation according to social cognitive theory, with many features within those apps representing theoretical constructs such as knowledge, perceived self-efficacy, and expectations about outcomes that support behavioral management of RA.

CONCLUSIONS

We found very few mobile apps available within the United States that have functionality that both engages and activates the patient to facilitate PCC. As the prevalence of mobile apps expands, the design of mobile apps needs to integrate patients to ensure that their functionality promotes engagement and activation. More research is needed to understand how mobile app use impacts patient engagement and activation, and ultimately, treatment decisions and disease trajectory.