Inflammatory arthritis is usually managed in secondary care, but we have an important role in early diagnosis; a delay in starting definitive disease-modifying therapy can have significant consequences for long-term pain and function.
The RCGP rheumatoid arthritis hub has a
variety of resources, including an eLearning module on inflammatory arthritis
which discusses the diagnostic process, management of flares and how we can
safely monitor disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) under a
resourced shared care system. Holistic care of patients is also covered,
including immunisation, contraception and pre-conception advice and dealing
with infectious diseases in patients using DMARDs or biologics.
The hub also contains screencast on safe remote assessment of patients with MSK conditions; this is a useful skill to have even outside of pandemic conditions. There is also a podcast which gives more information on holistic care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and a series of reflective questions to help to capture your views on the management of this cohort of patients.
