Nurse-Led Patient Care in Rheumatology Save

Manpower in rheumatology is about to be a major problem for the next several decades: not enough trainees, a "tsunami of retiring older white rheumatologists" and an aging baby-boomer, arthritis-primed population will strain current resources and manpower.  Moreover, necessary services will not likely be available to those in need and there may be a significant maldistribution of adequate rheumatologic care.

The current edition of The Journal of Rheumatology, addresses this issue with an original discussion of nurse provided rheumatologic care. 

The article discusses the multiple roles played by rheumatology nurses, playing a role in a multidisciplinary approach to caring for those with chronic arthritis.  Who better than the nurse to also address patients’ physical function, emotional, psychological, and social needs.

The European League Against Rheumatism encourages the involvementof rheumatology nurses in identifying, assessing, and addressing psychosocial issues of patients.

Research on nurse-led rheumatology care has focused on RA and shown that, compared to rheumatologists, there were no differences in outcomes such as quality of life and knowledge, fatigue and patient perceptions.

The editorial and the referenced article on this subject should be of interests to clinical practices and academic centers who need to address future manpower needs and clinic management planning. (citation source: http://buff.ly/2rC4jH3)