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Background: Since the publication of the 2015 EULAR recommendations for patient education in inflammatory arthritis, advancements in telehealth and a growing emphasis on person-centred healthcare aimed at addressing health inequalities have influenced the delivery of patient education. These developments, supported by new research evidence, underscored the need for an update and allowed for expanding the recommendations to encompass a broader range of inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (iRMDs).
Objectives: To update the EULAR recommendations for patient education in iRMDs.
Methods: In accordance with the EULAR Standardised Operating Procedures, a taskforce comprising 25 members from 13 European countries was convened. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted, including studies of people with rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, vasculitis, and gout. Through a combination of three online and one in-person meetings, the taskforce utilised data from the SLR (including 115 RCTs) with their collective personal and professional experience in patient education to develop the updated recommendations, including guidance on implementation priorities. The level of agreement (LoA) of taskforce members was electronically assessed anonymously (0–10 scale).
Results: Two overarching principles and eight recommendations were agreed, with four recommendations prioritised for implementation (Table 1). The overarching principles were updated to align with the revised definition of patient education. Seven existing recommendations were retained with minor edits and one new recommendation (#3) was developed. The recommendations emphasise the importance of patient education in optimising self-management, health, and wellbeing throughout the disease course (#1, #2). They offer guidance on developing patient education (#3, #4), emphasize the need for delivery by trained healthcare professionals and/or patients (#5), and recommend delivery using different formats (#6) tailored to individual needs (#7). Evaluating the effectiveness of patient education is also encouraged (#8). Agreements within the taskforce were high, with 96–100% scoring an LoA of ≥8.
Conclusion: The updated EULAR recommendations for patient education in iRMDs offer evidence-based, consensus-driven, up-to-date guidance on patient education for people with iRMDs, including prioritised implementation strategies intended to inform and empower people with iRMDs.
Overarching principles and recommendations for patient education in iRMDs
| Overarching principles | % LoA ≥ 8 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patient education is a person-centred, planned and structured interactive learning process to support and enable individuals living with iRMDs to optimise self-management of their condition, health and wellbeing. | 100 |
| 2 | Communication and shared decision making between people with iRMDs and their healthcare professionals are essential for effective patient education. | 96 |
| Recommendations | % LoA ≥ 8 | |
| 1* | Patient education should be provided for people with iRMDs as an integral part of standard care in order to optimise self-management of their condition, and health and wellbeing. | 100 |
| 2* | All people with iRMDs should have access to and be offered patient education throughout the course of their disease including as a minimum; from diagnosis, at pharmacological treatment change, and as guided by the patient’s needs. | 100 |
| 3* | Patient education should be co-designed with all stakeholders to improve access, overcome engagement barriers, and enhance outcomes. | 100 |
| 4 | Patient education in iRMDs should be based on a theoretical framework and on evidence. | 96 |
| 5* | Patient education in iRMDs should be delivered by specifically trained healthcare professionals and/or patients. | 100 |
| 6 | Patient education in iRMDs should be provided in-person and/or remotely, using real-time interactions and/or self-paced education. It can be provided individually and/or in group sessions. | 100 |
| 7 | The content and delivery of patient education should be individually tailored and needs-based for people with iRMDs. | 100 |
| 8 | The effectiveness of patient education in iRMDs should be evaluated and outcomes used must reflect the objectives of the patient education programme. | 100 |
iRMDs, inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases; LoA, level of agreement; * prioritised for implementation
REFERENCES: NIL.
Acknowledgements: NIL.
Disclosure of Interests: Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten: None declared, Kathryn Woodward: None declared, Astrid van Tubergen Pfizer, Novartis, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, UCB, UCB, Novartis, Annette de Thurah: None declared, Sarah E Bennett: None declared, Peter Böhm: None declared, Loreto Carmona indirectly. LC’s company has worked as a contracted consultant for laboratories among other institutions, such as BIOHOPE SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS FOR HUMAN HEALTH S.L, BMS, Fresenius Kabi, Galápagos, GSK, Lilly, Novo Nordisk Pharma SA, Nordic Pharma, NOVARTIS, Pfizer, Sandoz, SANOFI, Thomas Davergne Sandoz, Lilly and Arrow Laboratory, Andrea Domjan: None declared, Michaël Doumen: None declared, Khadija El Aoufy: None declared, Bente Appel Esbensen: None declared, Françoise Fayet: None declared, Johannes Knitza Vila Health, Abbvie, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chugai, Abbvie, GSK, Vila Health, Abbvie, GSK, Vila Health, Agnes Kocher Abbvie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Swiss Nursing Science Foundation, European Union (Horizon Europe) under grant agreement no. 101095052 (SQUEEZE) by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guerantee grant no. 10055567 as well as the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), George S Metsios Yes, but not related to this project, Aleksandra Opinc-Rosiak Yes but not related to this project, Yeliz Prior: None declared, Line Raunsbæk Knudsen: None declared, Javier Rodríguez-Carrio Fraunhofer, Fachverband Rheumatologische Fachassistenz, GAIA, Galapagos, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Medac, Novartis, Pfizer, Rheumaakademie, Sanofi, Sobi, UCB, Hana Smucrova: None declared, Simon Stones Employment by Amica Scientific, a healthcare communications company that is funded by pharmaceutical companies, Thijs W. Swinnen: None declared, Johanna E. Vriezekolk yes, but not pertaining to this project, Catherine Beauvais Occasional speaker for Abbvie, Chugai, Frésenius Kabi, Galapagos, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Nordic, Pfizer, Sandoz, Viatris.
© The Authors 2025. This abstract is an open access article published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases under the CC BY-NC-ND license (