Patient Perspectives on Treatment Effectiveness in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Pilot Qualitative Study to Understand What Matters Most

Speaker(s)

Mease PJ1, Husni ME2, Reddy P3, Adolf-Ubokudom EI4, Moy JL5, Shiff N6, Shea L6, Fixler K6, Peters W7, Lam GK8, Curtis JR9
1Swedish Medical Center and Providence St. Joseph Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, 2Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA, 3Southwest Florida Rheumatology, Riverview, FL, USA, 4Cambridge Health Alliance, Somerville, MA, USA, 5Independent contributor and patient participant in Janssen Patient Engagement Research Council, Waterford, MI, USA, 6Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Horsham, PA, USA, 7CorEvitas, LLC, Waltham, MA, USA, 8Arthritis & Osteoporosis Consultants of the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC, USA, 9University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

Presentation Documents

OBJECTIVES: In this qualitative pilot project, Janssen’s PsA Patient Engagement Research Council (PERC)1 provided their perspectives on medication effectiveness and communication strategies for discussing treatment expectations in patients with PsA.

METHODS: PERC members completed a pre-work survey, attended a 2-hour virtual focus group (Feb 2022), and discussed perceptions of treatment effectiveness for PsA.

RESULTS: Five biologic-experienced patients (PsA duration ≥5-years, 4-female, 3-White/2-Hispanic, aged 34–60 years [mean (SD): 49.2 (8.97)], 4 with more than a high school education) participated. Long-term treatment effectiveness was of higher priority than time to onset, except possibly in newly-diagnosed PsA patients. When assessing treatment effectiveness, control of arthritis to prevent joint damage were of high concern for all; most also prioritized joint pain, stiffness, and function. Some of the “worst” aspects of PsA were fatigue (physical+mental) and brain fog, which impaired self-esteem and ability to work/socialize.

Patients viewed the Patient Global Assessment as the tool that best captures disease aspects most meaningful to them. The most effective way to communicate treatment benefit to both newly diagnosed and treatment-experienced patients was to focus on function, specifically for activities difficult for that individual patient, and discuss expectations about timing and extent of potential improvements. Analogies encouraging reflection on cumulative gains, such as using a ‘ladder’ to ‘think about the next rung,’ were helpful in framing discussions with providers to reaffirm small steps towards progress.

CONCLUSIONS: Biologic-experienced patients with longstanding PsA prioritized long-term maintenance of response, joint damage prevention, improvement in function, and symptom reduction. Discussing treatment response in terms of function, while addressing fatigue and brain fog, enabled effective patient-physician interactions. Findings emphasize the importance of patients' perspectives in assessing and communicating therapeutic benefits for PsA management as a part of shared decision making.

REFERENCE:

  1. Chakravarty SD. Rheumatol Ther. 2021;8:609-20.

Code

PCR91

Topic

Patient-Centered Research

Topic Subcategory

Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes, Stated Preference & Patient Satisfaction

Disease

Musculoskeletal Disorders (Arthritis, Bone Disorders, Osteoporosis, Other Musculoskeletal), No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas