Co-designing interventions for patients with inflammatory arthritis: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Health Services Research
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Co-designing interventions for inflammatory arthritis (IA) can enhance healthcare delivery and patient engagement.
• A systematic review was conducted to evaluate co-designed interventions for individuals with IA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of co-designed interventions for IA.
• To identify the co-design phases utilized in intervention development.
• To determine barriers and enablers for conducting co-design studies in IA.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of literature searched across multiple databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science).
• Inclusion of all study designs, with quality assessment for experimental studies using Cochrane risk-of-bias tools.
• Reporting adherence to PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews.

Main Results:

• 22 studies met eligibility criteria from 11,091 reports, identifying diverse co-designed interventions (e.g., decision aids, monitoring apps, rehabilitation, education).
• A notable lack of psychosocial support interventions was observed.
• Common barriers included communication issues and limited stakeholder representation; enablers were iterative feedback, diverse stakeholder engagement, and flexible methods.

Conclusions:

• Co-design is a flexible approach for developing usable and feasible IA interventions through stakeholder engagement.
• The clinical effectiveness of co-designed interventions remains unproven, with persistent barriers.
• Further research is needed on co-designed psychosocial support and to establish clinical effectiveness for IA care.