Background: Previous UK studies suggest that people with arthritis taking part in self-management programmes feel more confident in their ability to manage and control their symptoms. These patients may also visit the doctor less frequently and have shown improved physical and clinical outcomes (1, 2). Based on this evidence, self-management has become an essential component of care for patients with arthritis, or generally with chronic diseases. However, there is still a huge gap regarding such self-management services and support programmes in rheumatology in Switzerland.

In the Swiss National Strategy “Musculoskeletal Diseases” 2017–2022, strengthening patients’ empowerment is one of the main strategic pillars. Considering that approximately 500,000 people are suffering in Switzerland from inflammatory arthritis (IA) and osteoporosis (OP) alone, there is huge potential to strengthen patients’ self-management capacity and thus improve their quality of life (3).

Therefore, the SLR has developed a self-management programme for IA and OP patients. In this programme medical assistants in outpatient rheumatology clinics are trained to consult patients in self-management. This programme is part of a two-year pilot project (2019–2020) that is supported by a consortium of important stakeholders in rheumatology in Switzerland.

Objectives: The ultimate objective is to increase the quality of life and the health status of people with IA and OP in Switzerland by enhancing their capacity for self-management. Furthermore, this pilot project aims at closing an important gap in the Swiss healthcare system by creating an innovative model that can potentially be replicated for other chronic diseases.

Methods: To measure the quality of life, the health status as well as the change in behaviour in patients, the study design includes both qualitative and quantitative methods. Patients enrolled in the programme are asked to answer a questionnaire at three points in time; at enrolment, after the last session and two months after completing the programme. It is expected that at least 45 patients will be enrolled. For a qualitative assessment, in-depth interviews will be conducted with rheumatologists and their medical assistants as well as some of the programme participants.

The training material for the medical assistants was developed by the SLR and will be evaluated by the programme participants. All patients will also evaluate the quality of the consulting provided by the medical assistant, answering a questionnaire after the last session.

Results: Within the first year of implementation, ten outpatient clinics, with twenty-four rheumatologists and twelve medical assistants, were enrolled in the pilot project. Four medical assistants were trained in 2019 and eight are in the process of receiving training in spring 2020. Only after the completion of training will patients be enrolled in the self-management programme. Therefore, outcome-related results cannot be expected until the beginning of 2021.

Conclusion: This pilot project provides an innovative approach to closing an important gap in the Swiss healthcare system and to providing a missing component of care for patients with IA and OP. However, it has been challenging to enrol enough clinics in the pilot project. The way the programme is embedded in the current healthcare system, it demands a cultural change within outpatient clinics, allowing medical assistants to step into a new role as consultant.

REFERENCES:

[1]Barlow JH, Turner, Wright (2000). ‘A randomised controlled study of the arthritis self-management programme in the UK’. Health Ed Res 15(6): 665–80.

[2]De Silva, D. (2011). Evidence: Helping people help themselves. A review of the evidence considering whether it is worthwhile to support self-management. The Health Foundation. London.

[3]Swiss League against Rheumatism (2017). Swiss National Strategy ‘Musculoskeletal Diseases’ 2017–2022. Zurich: 10–13.

Disclosure of Interests: None declared