Preference for disclosure of information among patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective. To quantify preference for disclosure of information among patie nts with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to examine sex-specific correlates o f information preference. Methods. We interviewed patients with RA and assessed preference for disclo sure of information using 4 questions from the previously validated "Inform ation Preference Seeking Scale." Three questions addressed preference for d isclosure of side effects and 1 question addressed preference for disclosur e of therapeutic options. Associations between preference for information a nd patient characteristics were examined using stepwise multiple linear reg ression. Results, One hundred RA patients (mean age 68 +/- 12 years; 73% female) wer e interviewed; 89 respondents agreed or strongly agreed with all 4 statemen ts reflecting a preference for full disclosure, and an additional 8 respond ents agreed or strongly agreed with 3 of the 4 statements. The mean score ( +/- SD) for information preference was 86 +/- 13, on a scale from 0 to 100 where 100 reflected a strong preference for full disclosure. In bivariate a nalyses, female sex and current employment were associated with stronger pr eferences for being informed (mean score for women 88 +/- 11, for men 80 +/ - 15 [P = 0.02]; for employed 92 +/- 11, for unemployed 84 +/- 13 [P = 0.04 ]). Multivariate sex-specific analyses demonstrated that current employment and higher education level were positively associated with preference for disclosure among women and men, respectively. Conclusion. The results of our survey suggest that RA patients want to be f ully informed about the risks associated with medications and about alterna tive options. The challenge remaining for rheumatologists is how to effecti vely communicate the risks and benefits related to the many options that ar e currently available for RA patients.