Emerging Issues in Pharmacological Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results of a National Needs Assessment Survey Identifying Practice Variations for the Development of Canadian Rheumatology Association Clinical Practice Recommendations: Table 1.

Objective.To describe Canadian clinical practice patterns in the pharmacological management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and identify practice variations.Methods.A 44-item pre-guideline needs assessment survey was sent to all members of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize respondent characteristics and practice patterns.Results.Survey respondents (n = 164) reported variations in practice regarding assessment strategies, treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drug monotherapy versus combination therapy, methotrexate dosing and escalation, corticosteroid strategies, and optimal use of biologics.Conclusions.Practice variations identified in this pre-guideline needs assessment survey were used to formulate key treatment questions for the development of CRA recommendations.

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Collaborating with Rural Practice Patners to Address the Need for RNs in Primary Care

Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care ◽

10.14574/ojrnhc.v20i2.618 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 179-193

Author(s):

Robin Brown ◽

Heidi Mennenga ◽

Alham Abuatiq ◽

Linda Burdette ◽

Leann Horsley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Needs Assessment ◽

Registered Nurses ◽

Primary Care Practice ◽

Rural Practice ◽

Care Practice ◽

Rural Primary Care ◽

Assessment Survey ◽

Needs Assessment Survey

Abstract Purpose: Primary care in rural areas of the U.S. urgently need competent healthcare providers, especially registered nurses (RNs). Registered nurses are ideal team members to help meet the primary care needs in rural communities, yet RNs are underutilized in primary care settings and rarely practice to the full scope of their license in these settings. The purpose of the project was to conduct a needs assessment with rural primary care practice partners to address the need for RNs in primary care. Sample: A needs assessment was sent to nurse leaders at 13 rural primary care facilities via an online survey in December 2018. Methods: This descriptive exploratory study utilized an online needs assessment survey to gather information from 13 rural clinical practice partners regarding their knowledge, interest, and use of RNs in primary care. Results: Twelve of the 13 rural clinical practice partners completed the needs assessment survey. A majority of the clinical partners indicated they felt knowledgeable about the RN full scope of license and expressed a high interest in the expanded role of the RN in primary care. The clinical practice partners reported interest in providing independent RN chronic and acute care visits, care management, medication management, and collaborative provider and RN visits. Conclusion: Conducting a needs assessment and collaborating with rural primary care practice partners to address the need for RNs in primary care is the first step in developing policies and utilizing RNs to the full scope of their license. Keywords: primary care, rural, registered nurses

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