One hundred eighty-nine ambulatory arthritis patients were interviewed to assess needs for information about community resource services. Participants were asked how frequently they needed 66 specific information items. Three categories of resource needs in arthritis care were identified: general information, personid care and medical services, and assistive devices and equipment. In the first category, results indicated thal the greater the impairment in functional ability, the greater the need for general information about arthritis. When functional ability was held constant, younger patients with lower family income displayed a greater need for arthritis resource information. Lower functional ability and family income were associated with a greater need for personal care and medical service information. Lower functional ability contributed the most to the need for information about assistive devices and equipment. We suggest that, as an essential component of the long-term care of patients with rheumatic diseases, individuals who provide educational counseling should clearly understand the community resource needs of patients, and should be able to match articulated needs with the existing services. Health professionals should be aware that certain patient characteristics (specifically, family income, functional ability, and age) May 25, 1987. are related to a need for this type of information. The large percentage of patients who could not name their rheumatic disease diagnosis (65%) presents a major concern and challenge to patient educators.As part of a project to develop a community resource guide for patients with arthritis in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio, a structured interview was administered to a sample of 189 arthritis patients, to determine the patients' need for community resource information. The convenience sample was drawn from selected private and clinic settings in Cuyahoga County, including 2 urban family health care centers and the offices of 2 rheumatologists and 1 orthopedic surgeon. In all cases, arthritis patients were referred to the interviewers after physician contact.The interviewees were asked how frequently they needed 66 specific information items, and if they indicated any need, whether they had sought a source for the information. The resource information needs were linked to the community services available in the county. A guide to community resources, based on the information needs of the sample, was developed and made available to arthritis health professionals and organizations in Cuyahoga County. (A more complete description of the instrument and project activities is available from the first author.)This report presents an analysis 6f the data collected from the structured interviews. These data provide a unique opportunity to analyze a comprehensive list of perceived information needs of arthritis patients. The results of the analysis suggest that information needs differ among groups of patients. In the quest to improve the quality of life of people with
A project was undertaken to determine the need for community services of persons with arthritis. It was first necessary to ascertain patients' viewpoints about what is most needed. A structured interview was developed and submitted to 189 primarily urban patients. Five sources were drawn upon to determine items for the interview: (1) selected arthritis literature; (2) patient interviews; (3) health professionals' viewpoints; (4) functional assessments; and (5) inquiries made to Arthritis Foundation staff. Sixtysix questions based on 25 content areas were then developed.
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