Identifying Needs and Community Resources in Arthritis Care

Abstract

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.

Joint Self-Care by Older Adults

“…Several self-care actions were notably underrepresented in, or even absent from, the subjects' reports. Massage and relaxation to reduce muscle tension, good nutrition and/or weight loss, range of motion and isometric exercises, protection of joints from stressful motion, conservation of energy and/or work simplification, and the use of assistive devices have been suggested as self-care strategies for persons with rheumatic joint problems (Johnson & Repp, 1984;Liebman et al, 1986;Lorig, 1982;Potts, Weinberger, & Brandt, 1984). The omission of many possible self-care actions often suggested for rheumatic joint problems documents the need for rehabilitation education in this sample.…”

A nursing perspective on the assessment of function in persons with arthritis

“…Despite this, the nursing community has not used them extensively. A review of articles published between 1980 and 1986 in nursing's three major research journals (Nursing Research, Research in Nursing & Health, and Western Journal of Nursing Research) and in two journal specific to community and rehabilitation nursing (Public Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Nursing) revealed just one study using the AIMS (Burckhardt, 1985) and two using the HAQ (Liebman et al, 1986;Lorig, 1982).…”