| Over the next decade, there will be an increase in demand for health care without a concomitant increase in resources. This will necessitate change in how care is delivered. Several non-traditional models of care delivery have the potential to address this problem, including a nurse-led, informatics supported, rheumatoid arthritis follow-up clinic (RAFC). The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the RAFC on patient's adherence to drug toxicity monitoring, osteoporosis prophylaxis, necessary dietary supplementation and exercise. This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial of 122 patients recruited from ten rheumatology practices. It was conducted over a period of twelve months at two health care centres in Calgary, Alberta. The results indicate the RAFC was able to increase patient's adherence to drug toxicity monitoring and Calcium and Vitamin D supplementation. Patients also reported increased satisfaction with this model compared to traditional care. |
