The Canadian Initiative for Outcomes in Rheumatology cAre (CIORA) hosted a webinar featuring six CIORA projects from the Past, Present, and Future. Investigators discussed their findings, next steps, and how their research impacted rheumatology care and their careers. The webinar is available on demand in the CRA Portal.
Dr. Laëtitia Michou presented her 2014 CIORA Grant: Measuring the Impact of an Innovative Educational Intervention in Inflammatory Arthritis: A Natural Evolution of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Québec’s multidisciplinary Information Session.
This study aimed to determine whether patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), either starting on or changing biological or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b- or tsDMARDs), demonstrate better self-management safety skills three months after receiving an educational intervention compared to usual care.
Between October 2015 and October 2018, this open-label, randomized-controlled trial included 107 RA patients who were on treatment or in whom b- or tsDMARD therapy was changed. Group 1 received initial additional intervention with an educational DVD and one teleconference. Group 2 received usual care and was offered the intervention after three months. At each visit, the patients completed the BioSecure questionnaire measuring self-care safety skills, a behavioural intention questionnaire, and the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ).
No significant difference was observed in the Biosecure score at three months. After pooling the first three-months data in Group 1 and the last three-months data in Group 2, the mean score of the BioSecure questionnaire increased to 7.10±0.92 after the group received the educational intervention (p<0.0001). The rate of appropriate behavioural intention increased from 76% at baseline to 85% at six months. There was no change in the BMQ.
Conclusion:
An educational DVD followed by a teleconference seems to improve the self-care safety skills of RA patients in practical situations.
