Riley Lydia, Harris Cindy, McKay Michele, Gondran Sue Ellen, DeCola Paula, Soonasra Arif
American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Austin, Texas.
Pfizer, Inc., New York, New York.
J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2017 Nov;29(11):673-681. doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12525. Epub 2017 Oct 4.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation, pain, joint stiffness, and progressive joint destruction. An increased demand for rheumatology healthcare professionals is anticipated in coming years; utilizing more nurse practitioners (NPs) in rheumatology may help meet this demand, and improve early detection and diagnosis of RA.
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners surveyed, via e-mail, members who were working in primary care settings to understand their educational and professional needs to help manage their patients with RA. Respondents were surveyed about their NP certifications, patient panel, information received from rheumatologists on shared patients, RA tools or resources that would be helpful, confidence in diagnosing and managing patients with RA, interest in learning about particular topics regarding RA medications, and preferences for exchanging educational information with their professional colleagues.
The results from this survey indicate that the role of NPs in managing RA could be optimized by improved communication with treating rheumatologists, access to educational tools and resources, and further education and training in the management of RA.
NPs in primary care can fill a resource gap and provide access to health care for patients with RA.
类风湿性关节炎（RA）是一种慢性自身免疫性疾病，其特征为炎症、疼痛、关节僵硬以及进行性关节破坏。预计未来几年对风湿病医疗专业人员的需求将会增加；在风湿病领域更多地利用执业护士（NP）可能有助于满足这一需求，并改善RA的早期检测与诊断。
美国执业护士协会通过电子邮件对在初级保健机构工作的成员进行了调查，以了解他们在帮助管理RA患者方面的教育和专业需求。调查对象被问及他们的NP认证、患者群体、从风湿病专家那里获得的关于共同管理患者的信息、有助于诊断和管理RA患者的工具或资源、对诊断和管理RA患者的信心、对了解RA药物特定主题的兴趣，以及与专业同事交流教育信息的偏好。
本次调查结果表明，通过改善与主治风湿病专家的沟通、获取教育工具和资源以及在RA管理方面的进一步教育和培训，可以优化NP在管理RA中的作用。
初级保健中的NP可以填补资源缺口，并为RA患者提供医疗服务。
