Media release

From: New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA)

4894. Care of patients with early inflammatory arthritis in the Wellington region according to the British Society of Rheumatology's best practice tariff standards

Key Points

·         Patients with suspected early inflammatory arthritis in the greater Wellington region wait an additional seven weeks to be seen by a rheumatologist compared to the UK recommendation of three weeks.

·         Only 13% of patients confirmed to have inflammatory arthritis were seen within three weeks of referral, which has been shown in other studies to be associated with worse longer-term outcomes.

·         Patients with confirmed rheumatoid arthritis are quickly commenced on appropriate therapy once they are seen by rheumatology services and nearly three-quarters are seen appropriately for further follow-up by the rheumatology service.

·         The waiting times are likely to be due to a combination of insufficient capacity and insufficient flexibility in appointment systems, when waiting times are compared to UK audits of rheumatology services.

Summary

Early commencement of appropriate medical therapy, usually by specialist rheumatology services, has been shown to improve the outcomes of people with inflammatory arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis. However, our audit of waiting times in the Wellington region showed that people with possible inflammatory arthritis wait much longer (average of 11 weeks) to be seen after referral by their family doctor, rather than the three weeks recommended by the British Society of Rheumatology. Probably more rheumatologists and more flexibility in arranging faster appointments are needed.