Educación en pacientes con artritis reumatoidea: evaluación de una encuesta de intereses / Education of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: assessment of a survey of interests

Background: The congruence of interests between health care providers and clients is essential if subjects with chronic diseases will be educated. Aim: To assess, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, those fields in which they would like to receive education. Patients and methods: Eighty eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis were surveyed about the topics in whicb they would like to be educated. The inquiry included medical aspects, handicap overcoming, social issues and labor aspects. Results: Eighty two percent of Patients were interested in medical aspects, 77 percent in social issues and 71 percent in handicap overcoming. Eighty three percent of Patients with greater handicaps preferred handicap overcoming, 75 percent social aspects and 74 percent medical aspects. Younger patients had a greater interest in labor aspects, those with a recently diagnosed disease were interested in legal rights and those with a prolonged disease wanted information about self help groups. Conclusions: The greater educational interests of patients with rheumatoid arthritis were on medical aspects. However, those impaired by the disease were interested in handicap overcoming. Age and duration of the disease also influenced the educational interests of patients. Thus, education in these patients must be individualized

Efecto de un manual educativo sobre conocimientos y actitudes en pacientes reumáticos y personal de salud / Impact of an educational handbook on knowledge and attitudes of rheumatic patients and health workers

To assess the impact of the educational manual Aches and Pain, on knowledge and attitudes of patients with chronic rheumatism and paramedics, using an instrument with 40 aseverations extracted from the manual, 77 patients and 42 paramedics were studied. The assessment instrument was responded before and after reading chapters of the manual, selected by the authors. Knowledge was quantified according to the number of correct answers. Adaptation to disease, optimism and self help capacity were the evalauted attitudes, using a five point scale. The study was completed by 48 patients and 42 paramedics. Knowledge improved from 19,9ñ5,3 to 25,6ñ6,15 correct answers in the former and from 23,6ñ4,9 to 30,3ñ5,5 in the latter (p<0,001), In patients there were improvements in the degree of adaptation to disease from 3,3ñ0,9 to 4,0ñ0,8 and in selfhelp capacity from 4,0ñ0,8 to 4,3ñ0,8; optimism did not improve significantly. In conclusion, the eductinal manual had an impact on knowledge and improved rheumatic patient's attitudes towards the disease