Patients' views on the quality of health care for rheumatoid arthritis

To study the experiences and views of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the quality of health care received in primary and secondary care.

Semi-structured interviews with 26 individual patients with RA; these were stratified by sex, ethnicity and disease duration, based on the treated prevalence cohort of patients attending two outpatient clinics in South East England.

Patients highlighted four main factors which influenced their attitude and approach towards hospital staff and the treatment offered: (i) their past experiences with the National Health Service (NHS), (ii) their own health beliefs, (iii) professional attitudes (e.g. listening to patients, receiving feedback on disease processes) and (iv) organizational aspects (e.g. good communication between health professionals) which would make their visits to the outpatient clinic easier.

Most patients no longer see themselves as passive recipients of care. They appreciate acknowledgement from health care professionals of their contribution towards management of their own chronic illness, and welcome a more equal dialogue with health care staff. This is consistent with the emphasis of the Department of Health document on 'Supporting People with Long-term Conditions' such as RA.