Angelia Mosley-Williams

Disease severity and domain‐specific arthritis self‐efficacy: Relationships to pain and functioning in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

To examine the degree to which disease severity and domains of self‐efficacy (pain, function, and other symptoms) explain pain and functioning in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Pain, Executive Functioning, and Affect in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

ObjectivesRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease resulting in substantial pain. The physical and emotional effects of RA are well known, but little attention has been given to the potential cognitive effects of RA pain, although intact executive functioning in patients with chronic illness is crucial for the successful completion of many daily activities. We examined the relationship between pain and executive functioning in patients with RA, and also considered the influence of positive and negative affect in the relationship between pain and executive functioning. MethodsA sample of 157 adults with RA completed measures of pain and positive and negative affect and were tested for working memory and selective attention using the Letter Number Sequencing subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Third Edition and the Stroop Color Word Test tests, respectively. ResultsConsistent with prior research, pain was inversely related to executive functioning, with higher pain levels associated with poorer performance on executive functioning tasks. This relationship was not moderated or mediated by negative affect; however, positive affect moderated the relationship between pain and executive functioning. For patients high in positive affect there was a significant inverse relationship between pain and executive functioning, whereas there was no such relationship for patients low in positive affect. DiscussionThese findings are discussed in the context of cognitive research on the effects of positive affect on executive functioning and functional neuroanatomical research suggesting neurocognitive mechanisms for such moderation.

Usability of a Computer-assisted Interview System for the Unaided Self-entry of Patient Data in an Urban Rheumatology Clinic

OBJECTIVE This study quantified the ease of use for patients and providers of a microcomputer-based, computer-assisted interview (CAI) system for the serial collection of the American College of Rheumatology Patient Assessment (ACRPA) questionnaire in routine outpatient clinical care in an urban rheumatology clinic. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey was used. MEASUREMENTS The answers of 93 respondents to a computer use questionnaire mailed to the 130 participants of a previous validation study of the CAI system were analyzed. For a 30-month period, the percentage of patient visits during which complete ACRPA questionnaire data were obtained with the system was determined. RESULTS The computer system provided cost and labor savings in the collection of 2,476 questionnaires for 2,964 patients visits over 30 months for a capture rate of 83.5%. In the last 12 of those months, 1,035 questionnaires were collected for 1,062 patient visits (97.5% capture). There were no missing data. The prestudy capture rate was 13.5%, with 33% of surveys having complete data. Patients rated the overall usability of the system as good (mean = 1.34, standard deviation = 0.61) on a scale of 0-2, where 2 = good, but expressed difficulty with mouse manipulation and concerns about the privacy of the data entry environment. CONCLUSION The system proved easy to use and cost-effective for the (mostly) unaided self-entry of self-report data for each patient for each visit in routine outpatient clinical care in an urban rheumatology clinic.

Pain and Functioning of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Based on Marital Status: Is a Distressed Marriage Preferable to No Marriage?

UNLABELLED Relationships may influence adjustment to chronic pain conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We examined how both marital status and marital adjustment were related to pain, physical disability, and psychological disability in 255 adults with RA. Among married participants (n = 158), better marital adjustment (assessed using the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale) was correlated with less pain and physical and psychological disability (all P values < .05). Married participants were divided into distressed (n = 44) and nondistressed (n = 114) subgroups and compared with unmarried participants (n = 97). Controlling for demographics and disease severity, unmarried participants had higher affective pain (P = .009) and higher psychological disability (P = .02) than only the nondistressed married participants, but unmarried participants did not differ from distressed married participants. These findings suggest that being married in itself is not associated with better health in RA but that being in a well-adjusted or nondistressed marriage is linked with less pain and better functioning. PERSPECTIVE This study examined relationships of marital status and marital adjustment to pain and physical and psychological disability in RA. Findings underscore the importance of considering not only marital status but also degree of marital adjustment in RA and may inform clinical interventions in this population.

Does Emotional Disclosure About Stress Improve Health in Rheumatoid Arthritis? Randomized, Controlled Trials of Written and Spoken Disclosure

&NA; Studies of the effects of disclosing stressful experiences among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have yielded inconsistent findings, perhaps due to different disclosure methods – writing or speaking – and various methodological limitations. We randomized adults with RA to a writing (n = 88) or speaking (to a recorder) sample (n = 93), and within each sample, to either disclosure or 1 of 2 control groups (positive or neutral events), which conducted four 20‐minute, at‐home sessions. Follow‐up evaluations at 1, 3, and 6 months included self‐reported, behavioral, physiological, and blinded physician‐assessed outcomes. In both writing and speaking samples, the disclosure and control groups were comparably credible, and the linguistic content differed as expected. Covariance analyses at each follow‐up point indicated that written disclosure had minimal effects compared with combined controls – only pain was reduced at 1 and 6 months, but no other outcomes improved. Spoken disclosure led to faster walking speed at 3 months, and reduced pain, swollen joints, and physician‐rated disease activity at 6 months, but there were no effects on other outcomes. Latent growth curve modeling examined differences in the trajectory of change over follow‐up. Written disclosure improved affective pain and walking speed; spoken disclosure showed only a marginal benefit on sensory pain. In both analyses, the few benefits of disclosure occurred relative to both positive and neutral control groups. We conclude that both written and spoken disclosure have modest benefits for patients with RA, particularly at 6 months, but these effects are limited in scope and consistency. Both written and spoken methods of emotional disclosure have some health benefits for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but the effects are limited.

The effects of written emotional disclosure and coping skills training in rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE Two psychological interventions for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are cognitive-behavioral coping skills training (CST) and written emotional disclosure (WED). These approaches have developed independently, and their combination may be more effective than either one alone. Furthermore, most studies of each intervention have methodological limitations, and each needs further testing. METHOD We randomized 264 adults with RA in a 2 × 2 factorial design to 1 of 2 writing conditions (WED vs. control writing) followed by 1 of 2 training conditions (CST vs. arthritis education control training). Patient-reported pain and functioning, blinded evaluations of disease activity and walking speed, and an inflammatory marker (C-reactive protein) were assessed at baseline and 1-, 4-, and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS Completion of each intervention was high (>90% of patients), and attrition was low (10.2% at 12-month follow-up). Hierarchical linear modeling of treatment effects over the follow-up period, and analyses of covariance at each assessment point, revealed no interactions between writing and training; however, both interventions had main effects on outcomes, with small effect sizes. Compared with control training, CST decreased pain and psychological symptoms through 12 months. The effects of WED were mixed: Compared with control writing, WED reduced disease activity and physical disability at 1 month only, but WED had more pain than control writing on 1 of 2 measures at 4 and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS The combination of WED and CST does not improve outcomes, perhaps because each intervention has unique effects at different time points. CST improves health status in RA and is recommended for patients, whereas WED has limited benefits and needs strengthening or better targeting to appropriate patients.

Computer applications in clinical practice.

Purpose of reviewThe prospects of improved practice efficiencies and better treatment outcomes have recently focused political attention at high levels upon the use of information technology (IT) in routine clinical care in the US, UK and elsewhere. Providers who treat musculoskeletal diseases need to become familiar with emerging governmental policies, IT industry trends, data standards and communication protocols to equip themselves with a basis on which to evaluate and influence the development of these technologies, which in turn will influence the shape of clinical practice. Recent findingsThe articles cited are categorized into the topics of government policy regarding electronic medical records (EMRs); data definitions and databases; computers in outpatient clinical encounters; EMRs; patient self-entry of historical data; computer physician order entry; personal digital assistants; and e-mail, the Internet, and the patient/physician encounter. SummaryGovernment agencies in the US, UK, and elsewhere are at various stages in the implementation of national health information infrastructures. US officials are playing a greater role in prompting physicians to use EMRs and in setting standards for EMR systems. A study by the American College of Rheumatology observed, ‘Increasing requirements for provider compliance with quality and outcomes reporting, HIPAA regulations, medical error reduction, including Medicare e-prescribing mandates, and downward pressure on practice revenues will ultimately drive the adoption of EMRs in office practice.’ Nonuse will equate to a non-viable practice. Rheumatologists who would control their own destinies must acquaint themselves with, adopt, and exert influence on the development of these technologies with all deliberate speed.