Abstract
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.
Footnotes
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Development of the survey was supported by funds from the Canadian Rheumatology Association. O. Schieir is supported by a Fonds de la Recherche en Santé de Québec (FRSQ) Doctoral Research Award. Dr. Akhavan is supported by a UCB/CRA/TAS Post-Graduate Rheumatology Fellowship. Dr. Hazlewood is supported by a UCB/CRA/TAS Post-Graduate Rheumatology Fellowship and an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Clinical Fellowship. Dr. Bombardier holds a Pfizer Chair and a Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Transfer for Musculoskeletal Care.
- Accepted for publication June 28, 2011.
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