Implementing arthritis clinical practice guidelines in primary care

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Rheumatology
• Primary Care

Background:

• Multi-faceted interventions are effective for changing provider behavior.
• Disseminating clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) is crucial for evidence-based care.
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) management requires updated provider knowledge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and evaluate an educational program for primary care providers on RA and OA CPGs.
• To assess provider confidence in managing arthritis before and after the intervention.
• To explore the impact of the program on collaborative care and patient self-management.

Main Methods:

• 30 inter-professional workshops were conducted for 646 providers from 216 organizations.
• Provider confidence in arthritis management was measured using a 10-point numerical rating scale.
• Qualitative assessments were performed immediately and 3-12 months post-workshop.

Main Results:

• Participants reported moderate baseline confidence in managing arthritis.
• Key program strengths included team learning, networking, and patient educators.
• The program significantly impacted collaborative care (83%) and patient self-management (79%).

Conclusions:

• Inter-professional learning is a successful strategy for enhancing collaborative arthritis care.
• The educational program effectively supported patient self-management in primary care settings.
• Disseminating CPGs through workshops can improve arthritis management in primary care.