Integrating Primary Care and Specialized Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Optimizing Recognition, Management, and Referral Practices
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an immune-mediated chronic and long-term condition that can lead to severe joint damage and disability. It has been shown that doctor–patient interaction and communication can have a significant impact on faster patient diagnosis and treatment outcomes. Primary care (PC)...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Rheumato |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0621/5/1/3 |
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| author | Dimitrina Miteva Konstantina Bakopoulou Ivan Padjen Issa El Kaouri Latchezar Tomov Georgi V. Vasilev Russka Shumnalieva Tsvetelina Velikova |
| author_facet | Dimitrina Miteva Konstantina Bakopoulou Ivan Padjen Issa El Kaouri Latchezar Tomov Georgi V. Vasilev Russka Shumnalieva Tsvetelina Velikova |
| author_sort | Dimitrina Miteva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an immune-mediated chronic and long-term condition that can lead to severe joint damage and disability. It has been shown that doctor–patient interaction and communication can have a significant impact on faster patient diagnosis and treatment outcomes. Primary care (PC) is the first level of patient contact with doctors and the health system. Communication between them is often ineffective, leading to delays in diagnosis, care, and the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The protocols and standards for the treatment of RA are well established by all rheumatology organizations. All of them recommend early initiation of DMARDs, which leads to better long-term outcomes. There are some recommendations that would lead to better optimization of recognition, management, and referral practices. Early diagnosis, effective communication between general practitioners and specialists, and patient education about possible targeted therapies and biological products, as well as subsequent monitoring of therapies and screening for risk factors and comorbidities, will improve patient health and optimize costs. We aimed to offer strategies and possibilities for integrating and optimizing primary care and specialized therapies in RA because proper management will reduce the severity of the disease and even reduce mortality from chronic diseases such as RA. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-54038a34016042a1949471f2bcdb23f5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2674-0621 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Rheumato |
| spelling | doaj-art-54038a34016042a1949471f2bcdb23f52025-08-20T02:43:06ZengMDPI AGRheumato2674-06212025-03-0151310.3390/rheumato5010003Integrating Primary Care and Specialized Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Optimizing Recognition, Management, and Referral PracticesDimitrina Miteva0Konstantina Bakopoulou1Ivan Padjen2Issa El Kaouri3Latchezar Tomov4Georgi V. Vasilev5Russka Shumnalieva6Tsvetelina Velikova7Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University, St. Kliment Ohridski, 8 Dragan Tzankov Str., 1164 Sofia, BulgariaFaculty of Medicine, Medical University Sofia, Boulevard ‘Akademik Ivan Evstratiev Geshov’ 15, 1431 Sofia, BulgariaDivision of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaFaculty of Medicine, Medical University Sofia, Boulevard ‘Akademik Ivan Evstratiev Geshov’ 15, 1431 Sofia, BulgariaMedical Faculty, Sofia University, St. Kliment Ohridski, 1 Kozyak Str., 1407 Sofia, BulgariaMedical Faculty, Sofia University, St. Kliment Ohridski, 1 Kozyak Str., 1407 Sofia, BulgariaMedical Faculty, Sofia University, St. Kliment Ohridski, 1 Kozyak Str., 1407 Sofia, BulgariaMedical Faculty, Sofia University, St. Kliment Ohridski, 1 Kozyak Str., 1407 Sofia, BulgariaRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an immune-mediated chronic and long-term condition that can lead to severe joint damage and disability. It has been shown that doctor–patient interaction and communication can have a significant impact on faster patient diagnosis and treatment outcomes. Primary care (PC) is the first level of patient contact with doctors and the health system. Communication between them is often ineffective, leading to delays in diagnosis, care, and the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The protocols and standards for the treatment of RA are well established by all rheumatology organizations. All of them recommend early initiation of DMARDs, which leads to better long-term outcomes. There are some recommendations that would lead to better optimization of recognition, management, and referral practices. Early diagnosis, effective communication between general practitioners and specialists, and patient education about possible targeted therapies and biological products, as well as subsequent monitoring of therapies and screening for risk factors and comorbidities, will improve patient health and optimize costs. We aimed to offer strategies and possibilities for integrating and optimizing primary care and specialized therapies in RA because proper management will reduce the severity of the disease and even reduce mortality from chronic diseases such as RA.https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0621/5/1/3rheumatoid arthritisprimary care integrationdisease managementearly recognitionreferral practices |
| spellingShingle | Dimitrina Miteva Konstantina Bakopoulou Ivan Padjen Issa El Kaouri Latchezar Tomov Georgi V. Vasilev Russka Shumnalieva Tsvetelina Velikova Integrating Primary Care and Specialized Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Optimizing Recognition, Management, and Referral Practices Rheumato rheumatoid arthritis primary care integration disease management early recognition referral practices |
| title | Integrating Primary Care and Specialized Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Optimizing Recognition, Management, and Referral Practices |
| title_full | Integrating Primary Care and Specialized Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Optimizing Recognition, Management, and Referral Practices |
| title_fullStr | Integrating Primary Care and Specialized Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Optimizing Recognition, Management, and Referral Practices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrating Primary Care and Specialized Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Optimizing Recognition, Management, and Referral Practices |
| title_short | Integrating Primary Care and Specialized Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Optimizing Recognition, Management, and Referral Practices |
| title_sort | integrating primary care and specialized therapies in rheumatoid arthritis optimizing recognition management and referral practices |
| topic | rheumatoid arthritis primary care integration disease management early recognition referral practices |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0621/5/1/3 |
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