Elevating the role of carers in rheumatoid arthritis management in the Asia-Pacific region.

Aim: Carers may offer valuable insight into the true health status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This multinational, multi-stakeholder, exploratory study in Australia, China and Japan aimed to enrich our understanding of the role and potential impact of carers on RA management.

Method: This study used a 2-phase sequential mixed methods approach involving 3 key stakeholder groups: rheumatologists, RA patients and carers.