BSR guidelines on standards of care for persons with rheumatoid arthritis

Aims. • Early identification of persons with rheumatoid arthritis • Empowering persons with rheumatoid arthritis • Developing efficient, cost-effective and evidence-based clinical care for persons with rheumatoid arthritis. Background. This document is intended to help and support the rheumatology team by providing a statement of the minimum standard of care requirements for persons with rheumatoid arthritis. It can also act as the formal record of standards of care as part of the clinical governance process of any rheumatology unit. Objectives. The aim is to develop nationally accepted measures for the delivery of care for persons with rheumatoid arthritis. These should usually be recorded as part of the normal clinical care of the patient. Specific situations in which patients may require closer than average monitoring are also discussed. The aim is to obtain the best quality of care within the resources available. The need for multidisciplinary team care is also addressed. The standards address the following areas: • outcome measures • special clinical circumstances • departmental structure. © British Society for Rheumatology 2005; all rights reserved.