HEALTH OUTCOMES OF 2 TELEPHONE INTERVENTIONS FOR PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS OR OSTEOARTHRITIS

Objective, The effects of treatment counseling or symptom monitoring t elephone intervention strategies on the health outcomes of patients wi th rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA), compared with usu al care, were assessed, Methods, A 3-group, randomized, controlled 9-m onth trial was conducted incorporating 405 patients with RA or OA and using the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2) as the outcome m easure, Results, Analyses of covariance showed that the AIMS2 total he alth status of the treatment counseling group (effect size = 33, P < 0 .01), but not the symptom monitoring group (effect size = 0.21, P = 0. 10), was significantly improved, compared with usual care, for both RA and OA patients, The specific types of benefits differed significantl y between RA and OA patients, The mean number of medical visits by OA patients in the treatment counseling group was also significantly redu ced (P < 0.01), Conclusion, Telephone contact using the treatment coun seling strategy produced significant, but different, health status ben efits for RA and OA patients, The symptom monitoring strategy produced modest benefits.