Summer 2019 (Volume 29, Number 2)
The CRA Practice Reflection Award:
Dr. May Choi
Patient Education is Truly a
Joint Effort!
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Patient education is an important part of fostering
strong patient-physician relationships and improving
treatment compliance. Reflecting upon my rheumatology
fellowship, I realized that I enjoyed teaching patients
about their arthritis; however, I often felt there was limited
time in clinic, and that patients would benefit greatly from
an interdisciplinary approach. Therefore, a new multidisciplinary
patient education program called “It’s a Joint Effort”
was created to bridge gaps in patients’ understanding
of their disease. This program was created by myself
along with a social worker (Jennifer Nguyen), physiotherapist
(Carolyn Johns), clinical pharmacist (Alex Charlton),
PharmD student (Sharon Falk), and nurse educator (Melissa
DeBelser).
This program is offered at the Richmond Road Diagnostic
and Treatment Centre Rheumatology Clinic in Calgary,
Alberta, once a month for four hours and is open to any
patient who goes to the clinic or lives in the city. We encourage
patients to bring a family member or friend to the
class. It is designed for patients newly diagnosed with inflammatory
arthritis. Each team member speaks for about
one hour in their area of expertise as it pertains to arthritis.
This includes a discussion about what inflammatory arthritis
is, and the role of medications, diet, smoking cessation,
joint protection, and exercise. We touch upon important
resources like social work and other support programs that
are available to arthritis patients. Another critical component
of the program is the opportunity for patients to interact
with each other, giving them a chance to meet similar
people struggling with the condition.
Since our first session in November 2018, we have held five
classes and taught 45 patients. Patients filled out a pre- and
post-session questionnaire to identify potential future learning
needs, assess the impact of the program, and to provide
patient feedback. Prior to the session, most patients reported
poor understanding of their diagnosis and the management
of their condition. After the session, the patients stated that
the session helped answer many of their questions and improved
their overall understanding of their disease.
We are truly honored to have been awarded the Canadian
Rheumatology Association Practice Reflection Grant.
The funds are being used to optimize the session experience
for patients and encourage attendance. We hope our
story encourages others to create similar multidisciplinary
education programs across the country and to involve
rheumatology trainees.
Dr. Vandana Ahluwalia and Dr. Raheem Kherani presented the Silver
Practice Reflection Award to Dr. May Choi (middle).
Pictured from left to right: Alex Charlton, Melissa DeBelser, Carolyn Johns, May Choi and Jennifer Nguyen.
May Choi, MD, FRCPC
Rheumatology Fellow,
Cumming School of Medicine
University of Calgary and Alberta
Health Services
Calgary, Alberta
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