CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS OF PATIENTS KNOWLEDGE

We evaluated the effectiveness of current strategies for educating pat ients in routine clinical practice in three related studies, (1) A stu dy of overall knowledge in 100 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) showed knowledge of diagnosis and treatment e ffects were high (86% and 83% respectively) but only a minority (37%) were well informed about side effects, (2) Patients' detailed knowledg e of drug therapy was assessed in 50 RA and OA patients, Between 56%-9 2% knew why drugs were given, their use and their likely effects, But many patients were unaware of the main adverse reactions and also how to avoid or limit them, (3) The relationship of patient education to o verall disease management was evaluated in 89 RA patients with 5-10 ye ars disease duration using validated guidelines for specialist care, T hose patients who had been given inadequate education about drug thera py had a reduced level of overall care, Although education is consider ed important by patients, it is often inadequate, and this is associat ed with a less effective overall treatment.