Background: Health systems globally are facing huge challenges to deal with the ever-growing numbers of non-communicable diseases (NCD’s), the majority of which are lifestyle associated. In the Irish context, 1.07million people have one or more chronic diseases, 76% of deaths are attributed to chronic disease and there is a 4% increase in chronic disease each year (Healthy Ireland Survey 2015: Summary of findings, 2021).Patients with RA have co-morbidities such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension (Pranata et al 2020). Lifestyle choices such as smoking have been shown to reduce treatment response (Aimer et al 2020). Cornelissen et al (2021) exploring what matters to patients with RA when facing medical decisions, patients emphasised the value of healthy lifestyle and keeping up their physical fitness.

Objectives: To produce an evidence based booklet to support the patient and the clinician to incorporate lifestyle medicine into rheumatology clinical care.

Methods: Funding was secured via a nursing bursary award. The project lead, brought together a team of seven experts including nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, substance misuse, health coaching and patients. The group collaborated with a design expert to conceptualize the booklet, key messages, tone and brand. Each healthcare professional created content for each lifestyle pillar according to their expertise. Patient feedback informed change through the process.

Results: The booklet facilities lifestyle changes with a range of tools to activate patient participation to identify and address small changes in each pillar and their relationship with arthritis. Bridges self-management tools and language is a theme through all six pillars offering person centred techniques to facilitate and guide individual behaviour change meaningful to each patient.

Conclusion: Lifestyle changes can have a significant impact on health and arthritis. By using the principles of lifestyle medicine patients have the potential to adapt and sustain positive lifestyle changes and live their best life with arthritis.

REFERENCES: NIL.

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Acknowledgements: RCSI Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery.

Disclosure of Interests: Una Martin Abbvie Ireland, Nicole O’Keeffe: None declared, Bindu Irudayaraj: None declared, Patsy McSharry: None declared, Louise Reynolds: None declared, Paul Goff: None declared, Peter Boyd: None declared.