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Need help making a decision about rheumatoid arthritis treatment? Introducing ANSWER-2!
Other-Types-of-Arthritis-3.5-Option-2-1
Scientific Study Title:
Need help making a decision about rheumatoid arthritis treatment? Introducing ANSWER-2!
Research Category
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Linda Li
Senior Scientist, Implementation Science, BSc(PT), MSc, PhD, FCAHS
Nick Bansback-Website Headshot-400x400
Nick Bansback
Research Scientist, Health Economics, MSc, PhD
Diane Lacaille-Website Headshot-400x400
Diane Lacaille
MDCM, MHSc, FRCPC, Scientific Director, Rheumatology
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Allyson Jones
Affiliate Scientist, Rehabilitation Sciences, PT, PhD
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Jenny Leese
MA, PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow
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Alison Hoens
Knowledge Broker, MSc, BScPT
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Sharan Rai
MSc, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

Why did we do this research?

Reason For Research

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) typically begin taking one or more drugs when they are first diagnosed. If symptoms do not improve, doctors may recommend a type of medication called a biologic. Often, the decision to start a biologic is not an easy one for people with RA, given that there are side effects, high costs and different ways of taking the drugs (e.g. by injection, as a pill) to consider.

In a previous study, we learned that the ANSWER decision aid was able to significantly reduce people’s uncertainty in deciding whether or not to use methotrexate (the most commonly used RA drug). In this project, we will develop ANSWER-2, a decision aid for people who are considering biologics. Once the tool is developed, we will test whether ANSWER-2 is able to improve people’s experiences of making this treatment decision.

What did we do?

Execution of Research

A decision aid is designed to help patients choosing between treatment options based on the best information available from research and their own preferences. We will develop the ANSWER-2 decision aid to include patient stories that highlight best evidence on the benefits and risks of biologics for RA treatment, as well as everyday factors that may affect a person’s decision to begin a biologic. Next, we will recruit 15 people with RA to test whether the decision aid is user-friendly. Finally, we will recruit 55 people with RA who are considering or reconsidering a biologic. These participants will use the decision aid and fill out questionnaires. One month later, we will interview these 55 participants about their experiences of using ANSWER-2 and their subsequent discussion with their doctors about their preferred treatment option.

The Research Team

Martina Franchi – Health & Benefits Consultant, Mercer

Alison Hoens, BScPT, MSc, Knowledge Broker, Arthritis Research Canada (University of British Columbia)

Pam Montie, Arthritis Patient Advisory Board, ARC

Alison Hoens, BScPT, MSc, Knowledge Broker, Arthritis Research Canada (University of British Columbia)

Ruta Cummings, Arthritis Patient Advisory Board, ARC

Sharan Rai, Arthritis Patient Advisory Board, ARC

Rod Brennan, Arthritis Patient Advisory Board, ARC

Cheryl Koehn, JointHealth

To learn more, please contact Jasmina Memetovic at jmemetovic@arthritisresearch.ca or 604-207-4007

Who Funded This Research?

This project is funded by a 12-month grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Related Publications

Li LC, Shaw CD, Lacaille D, Yacyshyn E, Jones CA, Koehn C, Hoens AM, Geldman J, Sayre EC, Macdonald GG, Leese J, Bansback N. Effects of a Web-Based Patient Decision Aid on Biologic and Small-Molecule Agents for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From a Proof-of-Concept Study. Arthritis Care & Research. doi: 10.1002/acr.23287. To access publication, click here.

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