Vancouver, B.C. — (June 29, 2026) A patient-completed tool is a promising way to improve the referral process for people with inflammatory arthritis, according to new research from Arthritis Research Canada.
For people living with inflammatory arthritis, getting diagnosed and starting treatment early can make a meaningful difference. However, many people experience delays before seeing a rheumatologist due to challenges recognizing symptoms, accessing care, and navigating referral processes.
A new study led by Arthritis Research Canada Board member Dr. Norma Biln, along with scientist Dr. Nick Bansback, clinician investigator Dr. Kamran Shojania, affiliate scientist and first author Dr. Mark Harrison, and Dr. Charlyn Black from the University of British Columbia, evaluated how patients and rheumatologists view the Self-Administered Inflammatory Arthritis Detection (SAID) tool. The SAID tool is a questionnaire designed to identify people who may have inflammatory arthritis to help improve referral and triage processes.
The SAID study had a tool evaluation and user perspectives component where feedback was collected from 92 newly referred patients who completed the SAID questionnaire, as well as three rheumatologists who shared their perspectives on how the tool could be used in clinical practice.
Patients generally found the online questionnaire easy to use. 85 per cent found it easy to log in, and 82 per cent found it easy to complete. Many patients also felt the tool could help their family doctor better understand their symptoms. However, patients wanted more opportunities to describe their symptoms in detail, including information about pain severity, frequency, type, and affected joints.
“People with inflammatory arthritis benefit from being diagnosed and treated as early as possible,” said Dr. Shojania. “Tools that help patients describe their symptoms and support communication between primary care providers and specialists will improve care.” The questionnaire is now accessible by clinicians to send to their patients through Pathways BC using this link.
Rheumatologists also saw potential value in the tool, as they noted that it provides structured information to supplement general practitioner referral letters and help prioritize referrals.
The study notably identified important barriers to overcome for the tool to be used more widely. Rheumatologists highlighted concerns about the tool resulting in a false negative, which means that people who had inflammatory arthritis may be missed if the score was relied upon solely. However, they felt that even just the patient answers to the questions, without the score would be helpful to see alongside the referral letter.
The tool also currently lacks integration with electronic medical records (EMR), which adds extra work for family doctors to send it to patients, until the workflow can be embedded directly within EMR systems.
In the meantime, now that the SAID tool is available on Pathways BC, it is a promising resource for the earlier identification of people with inflammatory arthritis and to improve the quality of referral information.
“This research shows the importance of involving both patients and healthcare providers when developing online tools to improve arthritis patient care pathways,” explained Dr. Biln. “Understanding what works well and what needs improvement is essential for creating tools that can be successfully implemented in healthcare settings.”
Read the full study here.
