2009 Annual Evidence Update on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) - Introduction

Introduction

 

 

The team responsible for NHS Evidence - musculoskeletal (formerly the National Library for Health Musculoskeletal Specialist Library) has searched the literature for high quality evidence that has accumulated within the last year.  We have focused on guidance and systematic reviews published before March 2009.  As in recent years the majority of publications relate to various aspects of treatment with biologics. Although this constitutes an increasing proportion of the clinical activity in relation to this disease, we should not lose sight of other important developments and various aspects of rheumatoid disease management feature prominently in our update.  It might seem obvious that patients should be able to expect the same high standard of care from the NHS wherever they are located in the UK but the fact that their experience varies greatly has been highlighted in a report from the Kings Fund [1].  This would be justifiable if there was no evidence to guide practice but this is far from being the case.  Perhaps the most important publication during the year has been the NICE Guideline on rheumatoid arthritis [2].  The widespread implementation of this guidance has the potential to greatly improve the lives and outlook of very many patients with this devastating disease. However, adherence to the guidance will have important resource implications for many providers which may be a challenge in these straitened times.

  1. Perceptions of patients and professionals on rheumatoid arthritis care. The Kings Fund January 2009.   [Direct document link - PDF]   [Link to specialist collection]
  2. Rheumatoid arthritis: the management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). February 2009. [Link to specialist collection] 

 

Contents

 

Acknowledgements

The NHS Evidence - musculoskeletal project team would like to thank all those involved with this Annual Evidence Update, in particular Dr Ray Armstrong, the Clinical Lead; Dr Chris Deighton for his editorial on the new NICE guidance on the management of RA in adults ; Dr Peter Fisher for his editorial on complementary therapies for RA and Mark Fenton for helping with the treatment uncertainties.