Rheumatologists' Views and Experiences in Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis in Elderly Patients: A Qualitative Study.

Objective: In this qualitative study we analyzed the (1) influence of age, comorbidity, and frailty on management goals in elderly patients with RA; (2) experiences of rheumatologists regarding the use of the Disease Activity Score at 28 joints (DAS28) to monitor disease activity; and (3) differences in management strategies in elderly patients with RA compared to their younger counterparts.

Methods: Rheumatologists were purposively sampled for a semistructured interview. Two readers independently read and coded the interview transcripts.