To the Editor:
We read with interest the report by Edworthy and colleagues1 which raised the question, Is the Canadian healthcare system neglecting a significant proportion of the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population? The authors conclude the answer is yes. We agree and feel it is time to begin work towards a national consensus on the optimal management of patients with RA within the framework of the Canadian healthcare system.
Edworthy, et al1 reported on an audit entitled the Assessment in Rheumatology (AIR) program, in which 65 Canadian rheumatologists enrolled 1596 consecutive patients with RA. Patients were seen only once and classified according to 4 states of disease activity: remission, controlled, smoldering, and …
Address correspondence to Dr. B. Haraoui, CHUM, Hôpital Notre-Dame – Rheumatology, Montreal, Quebec. E-mail: bharaoui{at}videotron.ca