Study: Nurse-Led Clinics Help Patients Manage Arthritis

Arthritis patients are managed as effectively in nurse-led clinics as they are in clinics led by new doctors, according to findings presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

Patients in nurse-led clinics may even be more satisfied with their care, according to researchers at the University of Leeds in England.

Investigators tracked 180 rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients over a one-year period who were treated in clinics led by rheumatology nurses or by doctors with limited experience in treating rheumatic diseases. The study assessed factors such as changes in physical function, perceived pain and morning stiffness, fatigue levels and overall satisfaction with care.

Similar numbers of patients in both groups reported unchanged, improved or worse results at the end of the study. Patients in the nurse led group reported improved length of fatigue, decrease in pain, increase in physical function, greater knowledge in self-care and overall positive levels of satisfaction compared to the clinics led by younger doctors.

"Nursing is a skilled, multi-dimensional activity that can deliver diverse benefits to the patient," said Jackie Hill, Academic and Clinical Unit of Musculoskeletal Nursing and investigator in the study. "I regard these results as just one step in the solution of a very large puzzle. Further research is needed both to identify the precise processes that deliver the results and to demonstrate that the results can be replicated elsewhere."

Other sources: American College of Rheumatology