[Evaluation of a basic educational program for patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Health Education
• Patient Empowerment

Background:

• A new framework facilitated developing flexible rheumatological patient education programs.
• A 5-hour basic training program for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients was created for specialized centers.
• Rheumatologists and psychologists received initial training before program efficacy evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a 5-hour basic training program for RA patients.
• To assess the impact on disease and treatment knowledge, and health competence.
• To explore secondary outcomes including attitudinal and communication parameters.

Main Methods:

• An externally randomized waiting control group study with 249 RA patients.
• Three measurement points were used to collect data.
• Covariance analyses, adjusted for baseline values, were employed for data analysis on an intention-to-treat basis.

Main Results:

• The training program demonstrated effectiveness, with participants showing improved knowledge and health competence 3 months post-training (d=0.37 and 0.38).
• Small to medium effect sizes were observed for primary outcomes.
• No significant effects were found in secondary objectives, except for disease communication.

Conclusions:

• The basic training program establishes a solid foundation for developing interventions targeting attitudinal and disease parameters.
• This program can be a core element in rheumatological healthcare for RA patients across different levels of care.