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Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a persistent systemic disease. Self-management skills are important for this patient population; however, a comprehensive rheumatoid arthritis self-management program for patients� day-to-day joint protection and physical activity is limited in Chinese society. Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate self-management for rheumatoid arthritis patients, which focused on joint protection and improving physical activity. Method: A pilot study with a pretest-posttest design was conducted with 32 adult rheumatoid arthritis patients at a medical center in northern Taiwan from January to July of 2016. Participants received a 6-week intervention (n=15) or usual care (n=17). Measures, at baseline and 12-weeks (outcome), included disease activity, arthritis self-efficacy, quality of life, and rheumatoid arthritis selfmanagement behavior. Participant satisfaction and recommendations regarding the program were also collected. Analysis employed the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Outcomes for the intervention group improved significantly for most variables. However, only rheumatoid arthritis selfmanagement behavior was significantly better for the intervention group compared to controls (p<.05). The intervention group evaluated the program as satisfactory or very satisfactory; home visits and phone calls scored highest. Discussion: The self-management program is a feasible means of improving rheumatoid arthritis patients� self-management behavior. A trusting relationship with the researcher was important for home visits, and phone calls were helpful as reminders. These findings will be incorporated in a large-scale study for further analysis of improving outcomes of persons with rheumatoid arthritis.

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