Multidisciplinary care in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a randomized controlled trial in China

Background For the large number of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients in China, it is critical to carry out effective disease management to improve the treatment effect and reduce disease burden. A pharmacist-led multidisciplinary care model has not been reported in Chinese SLE patients before. Objective To assess the effect of patient-centered, pharmacist-led, multidisciplinary care on clinical outcomes and satisfaction with health care in Chinese SLE patients. Setting: The South Campus, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. Method Participants were 143 systemic lupus erythematosus patients randomly assigned to either the intervention group (multidisciplinary care: physician, pharmacist and nurse) or the control group (usual care only). Main outcome measures The primary outcome was scores on the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index-2000, the satisfaction with information about medicines scale, and the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire, assessed at baseline and 12 months. Results Between October 1, 2017 and October 1, 2018, 42 participants were included in the intervention group and 40 in the control group. At 12 months, results for the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index-2000 differed significantly between the intervention group and the control group (0 vs. 2, P = 0.027). Patient satisfaction with health care was also significantly greater in the intervention group than in the control group (92.9 vs. 0%, P = 0.000). According to the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire, health quality was also improved (0.94 vs. 0.85, P = 0.006). Conclusion Our multidisciplinary care team significantly improved clinical outcomes and satisfaction with drug information in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients.