Priorities for High-quality Care in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results of Patient, Health Professional, and Policy Maker Perspectives

Abstract

ObjectiveTo elucidate the essential elements of high-quality rheumatoid arthritis (RA) care in order to develop a vision statement and a set of strategic objectives for a national RA quality framework.MethodsFocus groups and interviews were conducted by experienced qualitative researchers using a semistructured interview or focus group guide with healthcare professionals, patients, clinic managers, healthcare leaders, and policy makers to obtain their perspectives on elements essential to RA care. Purposive sampling provided representation of stakeholder types and regions. Recorded data was transcribed verbatim. Two teams of 2 coders independently analyzed the deidentified transcripts using thematic analysis. Strategic objectives and the vision statement were drafted based on the overarching themes from the qualitative analysis and finalized by a working group.ResultsA total of 54 stakeholders from 9 Canadian provinces participated in the project (3 focus groups and 19 interviews). Seven strategic objectives were derived from the qualitative analysis representing the following themes: (1) early access and timeliness of care; (2) evidence-informed, high-quality care for the ongoing management of RA and comorbidities; (3) availability of patient self-management tools and educational materials for shared decision making; (4) multidisciplinary care; (5) patient outcomes; (6) patient experience and satisfaction with care; and (7) equity, the last of which emerged as an overarching theme. The ultimate vision obtained was “ensuring patient-centered, high-quality care for people living with rheumatoid arthritis.”ConclusionThe 7 strategic objectives that were identified highlight priorities for RA quality of care to be used in developing the National RA Quality Measurement Framework.