Arthritis Res Ther
December 2024
Background: The exponential growth of telehealth is revolutionizing health care delivery, but its evaluation has not matched the pace of its uptake. Various forms of assessment, from single-item to more extensive questionnaires, have been used to assess telehealth and digital therapeutics and their usability. The most frequently used questionnaire is the "Telehealth Usability Questionnaire" (TUQ).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The development and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) is remarkable. Its application in all medical disciplines, including rheumatology, is attracting attention. To what extent AI is already used in clinical routine in rheumatology is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNon-specific low back pain (NLBP) is prevalent among patients with rheumatic conditions. Digital health applications (DiGAs) provide reimbursed, personalized home treatment for patients, promising to overcome limitations of traditional healthcare systems. However, the adoption and effectiveness of back pain-specific DiGAs in rheumatology are not well understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Although previous studies have illuminated associations between body mass and physical activity (PA), there have been scant insights regarding the physical, cognitive, and motivational determinants of PA in relationship to body mass. This study aimed to model courses of competencies for health-enhancing PA across the spectrum of BMI.
Methods: We used cross-sectional data of 3670 individuals (mean [SD]: BMI, 25.
Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by potentially disabling inflammation of the spine and adjacent joints. Regular exercise is a cornerstone of treatment. However, patients with AS currently have little support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mobile eHealth apps have been used as a complementary treatment to increase the quality of life of patients and provide new opportunities for the management of rheumatic diseases. Telemedicine, particularly in the areas of prevention, diagnostics, and therapy, has become an essential cornerstone in the care of patients with rheumatic diseases.
Objective: This study aims to improve the design and technology of YogiTherapy and evaluate its usability and quality.
Patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) suffer from one of the longest diagnostic delays among all rheumatic diseases. Telemedicine (TM) may reduce this diagnostic delay by providing easy access to care. Diagnostic rheumatology telehealth studies are scarce and largely limited to traditional synchronous approaches such as resource-intensive video and telephone consultations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTreat-to-target (T2T) is a main therapeutic strategy in rheumatology; however, patients and rheumatologists currently have little support in making the best treatment decision. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) could offer this support. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy, effectiveness, usability, and acceptance of such a CDSS-Rheuma Care Manager (RCM)-including an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered flare risk prediction tool to support the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patient education is crucial for successful chronic disease management. Current education material for rheumatic patients however rarely includes images of disease pathologies, limiting patients' disease understanding. Cinematic rendering (CR) is a new tool that allows segmentation of standard medical images (DICOMs) into pictures that illustrate disease pathologies in a photorealistic way.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Besides anti-inflammatory medication, physical exercise represents a cornerstone of modern treatment for patients with axial spondyloarthritis (AS). Digital health apps (DHAs) such as the yoga app YogiTherapy could remotely empower patients to autonomously and correctly perform exercises.
Objective: This study aimed to design and develop a smartphone-based app, YogiTherapy, for patients with AS.
Biologics have been an integral part of the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis for approximately 20 years. As patents for pharmaceuticals generally expire after 10 years, in recent years biosimilars have come onto the market. Many studies have shown that they are an equivalent alternative to the reference drug with comparable safety and efficacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: In order to successfully integrate telemedicine into the daily routine of rheumatology, both the patient's and the physician's perspective are important. For this purpose, a detailed study by means of a web-based survey was conducted by the Working Group Young Rheumatology (AGJR) of the German Society for Rheumatology (DGRh) and the German Rheumatism League National Association. By means of subgroup analysis of the data regarding video consultation, the aim was now to find out which requirements and wishes patients and physicians have for video consultations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Timely diagnosis and treatment are essential in the effective management of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs). Symptom checkers (SCs) promise to accelerate diagnosis, reduce misdiagnoses, and guide patients more effectively through the health care system. Although SCs are increasingly used, there exists little supporting evidence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rheumatic patients' and rheumatologists' usage, preferences and perception of digital health applications (DHAs).
Methods: A web-based national survey was developed by the Working Group Young Rheumatology of the German Society for Rheumatology and the German League against Rheumatism. The prospective survey was distributed via social media (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook), QR code and email.
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with clinical and psychological factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Germany and in Brazil.
Method: A convenience sample of 267 RA patients, 176 from Germany (age 62.4 ± 12.
Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) of the joints, gut and skin are treated with inhibitors of inflammatory cytokines. These cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Investigating anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses in IMIDs we observe a reduced incidence of SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in IMID patients treated with cytokine inhibitors compared to patients receiving no such inhibitors and two healthy control populations, despite similar social exposure.
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