Tackling Nonadherence in PsA Care: Pitfalls on the Patient Journey

Announcer:
You’re listening to Beyond Skin Deep: Impacts of Psoriatic Arthritis on ReachMD, sponsored by Lilly. On this program, we’ll hear from rheumatologist Dr. Joseph Huffstutter, who explains how we can ensure that our patients with psoriatic arthritis are adhering to their prescribed treatment. Here’s Dr. Huffstutter now.

Dr. Huffstutter:
There are a number of barriers to patient adherence to the medications. The first one actually has to do with accepting the fact that they have this illness. I tease my patients and tell them that denial is more than just a river in Egypt, that it is actually a coping mechanism that some people use to their detriment. They need to accept what’s going on. And not only the patient has to accept it, but their friends and family need to accept that. Once they do, then we need to find an individualized approach that they feel comfortable taking.

I’ve used the electronic health record to help me improve the compliance of medications in my patients. With using the health record, I can see when they ask for refills and how often we are dispensing medications so that if they’re not being compliant, I can counsel the patient and spend a little extra time with them trying to make sure they understand the need for taking their medications on a regular basis.

Announcer:
That was Beyond Skin Deep: Impacts of Psoriatic Arthritis, sponsored by Lilly. To revisit any part of this discussion and to access other episodes in this series, visit ReachMD.com/BeyondSkinDeep, where you can Be Part of the Knowledge. Thanks for listening!