Association of Limited Health Literacy With Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Individuals With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: Health literacy is an important social determinant of health, with limited health literacy associated with worse health outcomes. This study examined the associations between limited health literacy with patient-reported outcomes and disease activity/damage among 267 Black women with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) enrolled in the Peer Approaches to Lupus Self-Management (PALS) program.

Methods: The three-item Chew Health Literacy Screening was used to dichotomize those reporting in the "limited" range on any item with outcomes compared via generalized linear models.

The Effect of Travel Burden on Depression and Anxiety in African American Women Living with Systemic Lupus.

The United States has a deficit of rheumatology specialists. This leads to an increased burden in accessing care for patients requiring specialized care. Given that most rheumatologists are located in urban centers at large hospitals, many lupus patients must travel long distances for routine appointments.

Support Methodologies for African American Women With Lupus - Comparing Three Methods' Effects on Patient Activation and Coping.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues. While pharmaceutical therapies are an important part of disease management, behavioral interventions have been implemented to increase patients' disease self-management skills, provide social support, and encourage patients to take a more active role in their care. Three interventions are considered in this study; peer-to-peer methodology, patient support group, and a patient navigator program that were implemented among largely African American women with SLE at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

Feasibility and preliminary data for a State-wide South Carolina Lupus Registry.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus is an autoimmune disorder whose cause and reason for disproportionate impact on minorities remains enigmatic. Furthermore, statistics describing lupus incidence and prevalence are outdated and often based on small samples. To begin to address this disparity this report describes preliminary data to be utilized in the development of a state-wide lupus registry in South Carolina.

Peer approaches to self-management (PALS): comparing a peer mentoring approach for disease self-management in African American women with lupus with a social support control: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, healthcare costs and decreased quality of life. African Americans in the USA have three to four times greater prevalence of SLE, risk of developing SLE at an earlier age, and SLE-related disease activity, damage, and mortality compared with Caucasians, with the highest rates experienced by African American women. There is strong evidence that patient-level factors are associated with outcomes, which justifies targeting them with intervention.