Satisfaction and attitudes toward therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

We examined associations between patient satisfaction and data obtained in routine clinical practice, and associations with therapeutic attitude in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 220 patients with RA were enrolled in this cross-sectional evaluation. Demographic data, current disease state of RA, history of adverse events and self-reported questionnaire of patient satisfaction, attitudes toward therapy and reasons for being unwilling to change therapy were collected and analyzed. Multiple linear regression was used to identify characteristics. Age, Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score, and a visual analogue scale score of general health were the dominant correlates of satisfaction. Among the participants, 70% reported that they would not want to change therapy. The main reasons given were satisfaction with the current disease state (58%) and concern about the risk of side effects if therapy were to be changed (34%). Patients who were unwilling to change therapy due to concerns about side effects of new drugs did not have a significantly higher frequency of a past history of side effects, but showed significantly higher disease activity and a lower level of satisfaction with therapy. To summarize, patient satisfaction was associated with the HAQ. Patients who worried about the risk of side effects showed poor physical function and higher disease activity.

Treatment Satisfaction, Patient Preferences, and the Impact of Suboptimal Disease Control in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Greece: Analysis of the Greek Cohort of SENSE study

“… 15 , 46 Our country-specific subanalysis did not assess the willingness of patients to receive treatment intensification and, therefore, could not evaluate whether suboptimal patient satisfaction is associated with patient acceptance of treatment changes or vice versa, whether good patient satisfaction despite poor disease control prevents rheumatologists from treatment adjustments. A correlation between therapeutic satisfaction and the patient’s attitude towards treatment has been described, 47 , 48 and a recent study has shown that patients who report treatment satisfaction exhibit a weaker inclination to accept treatment intensification, regardless of their DAS28 score and duration of disease. 49 The data from the SENSE study further corroborate results from other Greek and international studies showing an inconsistency between the treatment recommendations for T2T and clinical practice.…”

Patient satisfaction, preferences, expectations, characteristics, and impact of suboptimal control of rheumatoid arthritis: A subgroup analysis of Japanese patients from a large international cohort study (SENSE)

“…While the patients’ acceptability was high for manageable side effects, acceptability was low for potentially life-threatening side effects, such as laboratory value deterioration, malignancies, and cardiovascular diseases. Concerns about the risk of side effects are also among the main reasons for unwillingness among Japanese patients with RA to switch their current treatment [ 33 ]. Thus, physicians are advised to consider the concerns about side effects and use informative shared decision-making tools about risks and benefits when discussing treatment options with their patients.…”

Polish Rheumatologists and Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Differ in Their Opinions About Treatment Inefficacy

“…Major causes of unwillingness to change were satisfaction with current disease state and perceived risk of side effects. 18 These data indicate that there is an important discrepancy between declared satisfaction with therapy and measured activity and functional status, and that clinical activity is not an adequate explanation for treatment satisfaction. Health professionals should take into account possible fear for drug toxicity as a cause of unwillingness to treatment change or noncompliance; otherwise, we may be in a disappointing situation in which patient and doctor are satisfied, but the disease is not controlled adequately.…”