In the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), patients tend to give more weight to pain, fatigue, and physical health than physicians, according to Proton Rahman, MD, during his presentation at the ACR Convergence on November 14.

Dr Rahman is a rheumatologist and genetic epidemiologist at Memorial University in St John’s, Canada.

To assess the agreement (or disagreement) between patient and physician global assessments, the investigators identified the diseases parameters based on demographics, disease characteristics, and patient-reported outcomes.

“Agreement between patients and physicians was seen in most cases initially,” Dr Rahman revealed. The disagreements increased at week 24 when patients gave more importance to pain and fatigue, and physicians emphasized objective disease measures, such as higher swollen joint count, tender joint count, and elevated C-reactive protein.

“While the patients and physicians were aligned on most determinants, there was no denying of the disagreement,” Dr Rahman pointed out. “These findings have important implications in shared decision making and highlight the need to prioritize treatments addressing the full spectrum of PsA symptoms, including patient-reported outcomes.”

Reference:
Rahman P. 2234: Disagreement between patient and physician global assessment over time in psoriatic arthritis: Insight into treatment priorities. Presented at: American College of Rheumatology Convergence. November 14, 2023. San Diego.