More Research Needed to Determine Long-Term Impact of Virtual Care on Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

June 30, 2021 (Vancouver) – A review of all available research on the topic finds rheumatoid arthritis patient satisfaction and disease activity remain stable under virtual care. However, future research in this area should focus on the long-term impact of virtual care on patients and the health system.

“The purpose of this review was to investigate the impact of virtual rheumatology care on people with rheumatoid arthritis in terms of disease activity and patient experience and satisfaction with care,” said Dr. Claire Barber, rheumatologist and scientist at Arthritis Research Canada. “Virtual care strategies appear to support patients in maintaining stable disease activity over time and deliver a good patient experience.”

Patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis require frequent assessments and lifelong, specialized care. However, in many regions around the world, there is a shortage of rheumatologists. This demand and shortage of specialists can create longer wait times for people living with rheumatoid arthritis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has played a large role in increasing the use of virtual care in medicine in the form of videoconferencing and telephone calls to rheumatologists or rheumatology nurses. Given this major shift in care delivery, it is important to understand how patient outcomes are impacted.

Barber added that health policies to support physicians in these new roles with training in technology, new workflows and allied health support should be explored.

Overall, despite the relative lack of data currently available on the use of virtual care in the management of rheumatoid arthritis patients, it is clear that this method of care has the potential to be a useful tool in the current healthcare model.

Want more information on this research? Click here, to view the research paper.