Making Strength Training Easy for People with Arthritis
Apr 15, 2025Many people with rheumatoid arthritis experience a loss of muscle strength, which can make it more challenging to perform everyday activities. Strength training can help rebuild muscle, but many people with rheumatoid arthritis do not engage in this type of exercise. This research will test a new idea to help arthritis patients develop their exercise plans.
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Comparing Risks and Benefits of Different Treatments for Inflammatory Arthritis
Dec 29, 2024New medications for inflammatory arthritis, including biologics and targeted synthetic drugs, have shown impressive results in reducing inflammation, relieving symptoms, and preventing joint damage. However, with multiple classes available, choosing the right one can be challenging due to limited comparative information on risks and benefits.
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Integrating Shared Decision Making Into Rheumatoid Arthritis Care: A Focus on Indigenous Patients
Dec 11, 2024Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is complex, with multiple medication options available. How each patient approaches their choice can vary. For Indigenous people with rheumatoid arthritis, this involves additional considerations, including cultural factors.
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Testing an Online Program for Managing Insomnia in Inflammatory Arthritis
Nov 13, 2024Sleep difficulties, including trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, and/or waking up early without being able to fall back asleep (all types of insomnia), are reported in up to 70% of persons living with inflammatory rheumatic diseases. In this research, individuals with inflammatory arthritis will participate in a randomized controlled trial to test and improve a cognitive behavioural therapy program…
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Investigating Links Between Cancer Treatments And Arthritis To Improve Care
Jul 25, 2024Immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of cancer treatment, can trigger inflammatory arthritis. This research aims to understand why this happens to help doctors prevent or treat it without compromising the therapy's cancer-fighting benefits.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Care in Alberta – ‘The right care at the right time by the right provider’
Feb 01, 2024Appointments for rheumatoid arthritis are scheduled every 6 to12 months, this has led to a system that cannot deliver the appropriate treatment when it is most needed and make sure it is delivered by the right health care provider. This study will create and test a different way of providing care when needed.
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Measuring what matters in rheumatology in Alberta to improve care delivery
Aug 08, 2023Rheumatoid Arthritis can negatively affect the everyday lives of people who struggle with it when left untreated. This project will develop the ‘Alberta Rheumatology Learning Health System’, a tool designed to improve rheumatology care by learning from the data collected in everyday patient visits and making sure the care provided meets the highest standards.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis – Determining the best treatment for each person
Dec 15, 2022Treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis are constantly increasing and it is important that treatment recommendations are based on the most up to date information. This study will create a new approach for identifying, updating and assembling new information on treatments for this disease.
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Use of the Emergency Department by Persons with Inflammatory Arthritis Conditions
Nov 04, 2022People with long-term inflammatory arthritis (IA) are going to ER departments for both emergency and non-emergency care as they are unable to get an appointment with their family doctor or rheumatologist. This study will recommend changes to help patients get the care they need and avoid the emergency department.
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Studying cell behavior to predict individual responses to methotrexate treatment
Nov 04, 2022In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), early diagnosis and rapid initiation of effective treatment is key. Methotrexate (MTX) is the standard drug used in the treatment of RA, but alone may not be enough. This study will examine extracellular vesicles (EVs) to better understand who would benefit from methotrexate versus other treatment.
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Individualizing rheumatoid arthritis therapy
Oct 04, 2022There are many medications available for people with rheumatoid arthritis, so determining the ‘best’ treatment option should be based on the most current data and patient preferences. This study will develop a personalized decision tool to help patients choose the best treatment for them.
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Identifying different health care needs of people with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Oct 04, 2022Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes pain and inflammation of the joints – however, RA can affect people in different ways. This study will investigate a more holistic approach and look at biopsychosocial’ factors, such as disease severity and work and home responsibilities.
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Understanding the care of people with rheumatoid arthritis
Dec 13, 2021Family physicians play a key role in the management of rheumatoid arthritis and are often a patient’s first contact with the healthcare system. However, the management of this type of arthritis by family physicians across Canada is not known. This research will result in a national description of healthcare provided by physicians and identify and address gaps in primary care.
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Choosing a Treatment Plan Based on Current Research AND Patient Preference
Jun 17, 2021Rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease are chronic conditions that affect people of all ages. Choosing the best treatment for patients requires an understanding of what is important to people living with these conditions. We will conduct multiple studies to understand how to make treatment decisions that take patient preference into account.
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Understanding the Origins of Inflammation in Those with Rheumatoid Arthritis May Lead to New Treatments
Jan 13, 2021Despite current treatment options, some people with rheumatoid arthritis have ongoing inflammation. Those patients would benefit from new treatment approaches. This research seeks to understand the mechanisms that drive inflammation in RA to develop new treatments for people living with the disease.
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Making it Work: Helping People with Inflammatory Forms of Arthritis at Work (Phase III)
Aug 12, 2020This research is a natural extension of our previous studies on Work Disability. This program is unique worldwide in that it combines the benefits of video conferencing group sessions focused on improving self-management, with assessments by health professionals specifically addressing employment. The web-based technology for delivery of the program is at the leading edge of trends in the field of…
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Assessing the Cost of Switching from Biologic Drugs to Biosimilars in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in British Columbia (BC)
Jul 23, 2020Biologic drugs are effective treatments for patients with RA, but their high costs take up a large part of British Columbia’s (BC) health care budget. As many biologic drugs are coming to the end of their patent, it is possible to make equivalent drugs called biosimilars for a much lesser cost. That would result in a cost saving of millions…
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Improving screening and prevention of chronic conditions due to inflammation in people living with inflammatory arthritis.
Jun 19, 2020People living with inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or lupus) are more likely than the average person to develop other chronic conditions related to inflammation. Studies show that people with inflammatory arthritis are not getting the recommended screening and management for the risk factors of these chronic conditions when they visit their family physicians. In…
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Matching arthritis care to patients’ needs
Jun 19, 2020There is a crisis in healthcare for Canadians living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Due to a shortage of rheumatologists in Canada, many people with RA must wait a long time to see one. This study explores a new method of treatment by creating patient care plans that match the needs of the individual patient. The aim is to provide a…
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OPERAS Health Tracking: Tracking rheumatoid arthritis symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic
Jun 01, 2020OPERAS (On-demand Program to EmpoweR Active Self-management) is an easy to use web/mobile app designed for people with RA to track their health. This app helps people to “see” how their symptoms and physical activity levels change over time, together with the treatment they use. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this information can be helpful for people with RA to plan…
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An 18 month trial of reducing medications in patients with stable rheumatoid arthritis
Apr 01, 2018This study aims to provide real-world data on a patient-centered approach to treatment reduction for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
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New method to improve quality of care for rheumatoid arthritis: The balanced scorecard
Jan 17, 2018The quality of care for inflammatory arthritis (IA) patients is not routinely monitored in Canada, so any variations in care could lead to poorer patient outcomes. We will test a ‘report card’ approach, which represents multiple viewpoints (patients, healthcare providers, and policy makers) and identifies opportunities for improvement.
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Care for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in BC: The Impact of Care Gaps
Aug 29, 2011This study will evaluate how variations in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment and gaps in health care affect physical function, risk of work loss, and premature death. The results will help educate policy-makers and clinicians, and empower patients to make informed decisions about health care services.
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