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Rheumatology 2000; 39: 457-458
© 2000 British Society for Rheumatology

Editorials

Shared care—the way forward for patient-orientated follow-up care in rheumatoid arthritis

K. Mitchell

Rheumatology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol BS2 8HW, UK

The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below.

Traditionally patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receive their hospital care in the UK via regular out-patient follow-up appointments. RA is a chronic, variable disease, which requires a continuing long-term programme of follow-up [1]. This tends to be a pattern of regular repeated appointments (e.g. every 3 or 6 months) and does not take into account the uniqueness of an individual patient's disease. This system of follow-up can account for approximately 75% of a rheumatologist's workload [2]. Yet it is costly, both in terms of medical time and expertise and in the use of general National Health Service (NHS) resources, and can be inconvenient and costly to patients, especially those who are still in full- or part-time employment. Therefore, . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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