More psychological and emotional support needed for people with inflammatory arthritis

People with inflammatory arthritis want more help coping with its social and emotional implications, says research due to be presented at Rheumatology 2014.
A UK research team surveyed 1,200 people about the support currently available and their preferences for the type of services they would like to see in the future.
The results imply there is a gap between the support provided and the support needed. Almost every patient wanted support (97%) and would use psychological support services (96%). But less than a quarter (23%) had been asked about social and emotional issues by a rheumatology professional.
If available, two-thirds of patients would be interested in attending self-management or coping clinics. Other services people would use to help them cope with their condition included peer support groups, pain management and patient education.
Those surveyed said they needed more support for practical aspects such as the effects of their arthritis on work, leisure and relationships.
“Patients have told us that psychological and emotional support is important and they would like help from rheumatology specialists to cope with the impact of living with arthritis,” says lead researcher, Dr Emma Dures. “Therefore our research will now focus on supporting teams to acquire the skills and resources necessary to provide psychological and emotional support to improve quality of life for patients.”
President of the British Society for Rheumatology Dr Chris Deighton comments:
“It can be physically and emotionally distressing for patients who develop an inflammatory arthritis. There is clearly a huge unmet need for people with inflammatory arthritis, and more psychological support would improve the quality of their lives. All rheumatology services should provide access to professional psychological support.”