Objectives: In the UK, there is a wide variation in the quality of care that people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) receive. People with AS require early diagnosis and referral to a specialist team to commence treatment and optimize outcome.
Methods: At East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, a specialist clinic led by an extended scope practitioner (ESP) physiotherapist has been set up for the assessment and monitoring of patients with AS. This report describes the service provided by the AS clinic.
Results: Over eight years, the number of patients seen has risen from 62 to 352, and annual consultations from 186 to 986, with an average of 2.8 visits per patient per year. Ninety-seven patients have started treatment with a Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) blocker. The service has expanded by the addition of a support worker and biologic clinics.
Conclusion: For the Trust, the specialist service provides an improved quality of care and cost-effective use of staff resources. Evaluation has demonstrated that patients welcome the new service.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/msc.1015 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Rheumatology.
J Palliat Med
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) consist of a broad range of immune-mediated multisystem diseases. They are chronic, incurable illnesses that often present in early to mid-life and can be associated with a high symptom burden, disability, and early mortality. Treatment guidelines for similar chronic, life-limiting conditions with uncertain disease courses now recommend palliative care (PC) assessment at the time of diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSex Differences in Long COVID.
JAMA Netw Open
January 2025
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
Importance: A substantial number of individuals worldwide experience long COVID, or post-COVID condition. Other postviral and autoimmune conditions have a female predominance, but whether the same is true for long COVID, especially within different subgroups, is uncertain.
Objective: To evaluate sex differences in the risk of developing long COVID among adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Medicaid Spending in Coordination-Only Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans.
JAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina.
Importance: More than 4 million Medicare beneficiaries have enrolled in dual-eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), and coordination-only D-SNPs are common. Little is known about the impact of coordination-only D-SNPs on Medicaid-covered services and spending, including long-term services and supports, which are financed primarily by Medicaid.
Objective: To evaluate changes in Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) spending before and after new enrollment in coordination-only D-SNPs vs new enrollment in non-D-SNP Medicare Advantage (MA) plans among community-living beneficiaries enrolled in both Medicare and North Carolina Medicaid.
External Validation of the Walter Index for Posthospitalization Mortality Prediction in Older Adults.
JAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Division of Geriatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco.
Importance: The Walter Index is a widely used prognostic tool for assessing 12-month mortality risk among hospitalized older adults. Developed in the US in 2001, its accuracy in contemporary non-US contexts is unclear.
Objective: To evaluate the external validity of the Walter Index in predicting posthospitalization mortality risk in Brazilian older adult inpatients.
Cerebral Microbleeds and Amyloid Pathology Estimates From the Amyloid Biomarker Study.
JAMA Netw Open
January 2025
Alzheimer Center Limburg, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Importance: Baseline cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and APOE ε4 allele copy number are important risk factors for amyloid-related imaging abnormalities in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) receiving therapies to lower amyloid-β plaque levels.
Objective: To provide prevalence estimates of any, no more than 4, or fewer than 2 CMBs in association with amyloid status, APOE ε4 copy number, and age.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study used data included in the Amyloid Biomarker Study data pooling initiative (January 1, 2012, to the present [data collection is ongoing]).
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!