It means everything: continuing normality of everyday life for people with rheumatoid arthritis in early remission

The aim of this follow-up study was twofold: firstly, to explore how people who were clinically regarded to be in a state of remission experienced their everyday lives with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); secondly, to explore the experiences of people in early remission with healthcare provision and their perceived support needs.

Two focus group interviews were conducted with 11 participants in total. Interview data were analysed using content analysis methods.

All participants felt that they were able to continue their normal everyday activities at home, at leisure and at work. They were also able to maintain their normal roles. Continuing the normality of everyday life seemed to be the most important defining variable for experiencing being in remission. Support needs were directly related to the participants' positive experiences of actual support from the healthcare providers and were related to the continuity of the care provider, coherence, being taken care of, having a personal and trusting relationship with the health professionals and being properly informed about RA and how to manage it.

The participants wanted to concentrate on wellness and tended to avoid thinking of possible side effects, being chronic ill and the development of RA in the future.