Overcoming adherence issues and other barriers to optimal care in gout
Faculty Advisor
Leslie HarroldUMass Chan Affiliations
Meyers Primary Care InstituteSchool of Medicine
Department of Medicine
Department of Orthopedics and Physical Rehabilitation
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2015-03-01Keywords
goutmedication adherence
quality improvement
urate-lowering therapy
Health Services Administration
Health Services Research
Musculoskeletal Diseases
Rheumatology
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review presents research published over the last year examining use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) as well as trends over time in adherence to this class of agents. Additionally, it explores factors associated with nonadherence to ULTs for chronic gout and interventions to improve chronic gout management. RECENT FINDINGS: New literature suggests prescriptions of ULTs for prevalent and incident gout patients remains lower than expected based on the burden of the disease in the population. Overall ULT adherence remains suboptimal, in part related to inadequate patient education and copayment costs; although one study demonstrated improvement in adherence over a 15-year study period. Finally, interventions that include patient education and medication titration based on laboratory results successfully lowered serum urate levels to less than 6 mg/dl in the majority of patients. SUMMARY: Gout remains a prevalent disease that is poorly managed despite effective treatments. Recent research suggests that ULTs are underutilized and even when prescribed are not well adhered to. Patient-centered interventions that focus on education about pharmacologic therapy and lifestyle modifications with medication titration have resulted in a greater proportion of patients achieving recommended serum urate levels.Source
Nasser-Ghodsi N, Harrold LR. Overcoming adherence issues and other barriers to optimal care in gout. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2015 Mar;27(2):134-8. doi: 10.1097/BOR.0000000000000141. PubMed PMID: 25633242.DOI
10.1097/BOR.0000000000000141Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/49242PubMed ID
25633242Notes
Medical student Navine Nasser-Ghodsi participated in this study as part of the Senior Scholars research program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.Related Resources
Link to article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1097/BOR.0000000000000141