Rapid-access rheumatology clinics could drive improvements in standards of care

A new study conducted by the University of Vienna, Austria, suggests that by introducing new rapid-access rheumatology services, people with rheumatological conditions could be diagnosed more promptly and effectively.

Waiting times for initial appointments are often considered to be a major obstacle to the timely provision of care for people with rheumatological conditions. The researchers conducting this study have shown that there are measured benefits of rapid-access clinics and indicate that such clinics offered via doctors’ surgeries could impact in a positive way on the standard of care offered to these patients.

For the study, researchers wanted to see whether a cooperative of surgery-based rheumatologists working as an immediate access network could address this problem by offering initial assessments for patients with musculoskeletal problems.

A total of 335 patients were assessed by the six cooperative practices during regular surgery hours for this study. They were all evaluated during the initial appointments and then six months later.

The study found that 38% of the patients seen had only been experiencing symptoms for three months or less, which indicates that the clinics were able to catch the signs of disease early in these cases.

And for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, this proportion was 43%, rising even further to 70% among self-referred patients. In total 325 of the original 335 patients were available for reassessment after six months and the initially suspected diagnoses was confirmed in 88% of cases.

The researchers also reported that patients generally benefited from a pronounced decrease in pain levels by the time of the six-month follow-up appointment. They say, “This initiative demonstrates the feasibility of a rapid access service and indicates high diagnostic accuracy in such a setting. In particular, with respect to early access, it compares favourably with similar hospital-based approaches.”

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