[Disease-related knowledge acquisition through structured patient information in rheumatoid arthritis (StruPI-RA) : First results of the StruPI-RA study in Germany].

Background/objective: The structured patient information for rheumatoid arthritis (StruPi-RA) program was the first standardized outpatient education program in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Germany. The main objective of the study was to determine the efficacy of the StruPi-RA program concerning disease-specific knowledge acquisition in patients with early stage RA or after changing the treatment regimen.

Methods: A total of 61 patients were included in a control group design, 32 in the intervention group (IG) and 29 in the control group (CG).