Reumatizam, Vol. 67 No. 1, 2020.
Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.33004/reumatizam-67-1-3
Effect of disease activity and functional impairment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis on satisfaction with provided rheumatology health care
Darija Čubelić
orcid.org/0000-0003-0692-846X
; Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia
Mirna Reihl Crnogaj
; Department of Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Rheumatology, National Memorial Hospital Vukovar, Vukovar, Croatia
Miroslav Mayer
orcid.org/0000-0001-9951-6610
; Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA ) is a disease that requires regular monitoring of therapeutic efficacy and patients’ quality of life (QOL ). The aim of this study is to determine the influence of disease activity and duration, as well as functional disability, on the patients’ perception of satisfaction with the provided care, and to evaluate the satisfaction with respect to the patient-physician relationship and the factors that affect the patients’ satisfaction level. The observational non-interventional study included 53 consecutive RA patients who regularly attend the outpatient clinic. Prior to the scheduled examination the patients completed a standardized Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire and a Health Care Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). The patients were divided according to their HAQ score, disease activity measured by DAS 28 score (Disease Activity Score 28), disease duration, and presence of bDMARD s (biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) in therapy. The results showed that the patients were largely satisfied with the service provided. The highest scores were achieved in the categories of the technical quality and competence of the physician and the doctor’s attitude towards the patient. The lowest scores were related to the inability of an easy telephone access or emergency consultation and to the time spent in the waiting room. The level of disease activity did not significantly affect the degree of satisfaction with the provided health care. Additionally, patients who were classified as having severe to very severe disability by HAQ score had slightly lower satisfaction rates in all examined categories. Furthermore, patients treated with bDMARD s and those with disease lasting more than five years reported higher satisfaction rates in all categories.
In conclusion, patients with a higher degree of disability experience a slightly lower level of satisfaction with medical care, whereas patients with long standing disease and those treated with bDMARD s report higher levels of satisfaction with the specialist care. Satisfaction with the professional service provided in the specialist rheumatology unit can contribute to the improvement of the patients’ perception of satisfaction with QOL .
Keywords
Arthritis, rheumatoid – drug therapy, psychology; Biological products – therapeutic use; Severity of illness index; Patient satisfaction; Physician-patient relation; Patient reported outcome measures; Rheumatology; S urveys and questionnaires
Hrčak ID:
247873
URI
Publication date:
10.12.2020.
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