Patient Preferences With Rheumatological or Dermatological Diseases Regarding Electronic Injection Devices for the Administration of Etanercept in Colombia

OBJECTIVES: A questionnaire was conducted to determine the preferences for the technical functionalities of electronic injection devices (e-Devices) and the associated app in patients with rheumatological or dermatological diseases treated with etanercept.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in patients with prior experience using injection devices and who belong to an educational patient program. Using a randomized sample, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), psoriasis (PsO) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) were recruited to conduct a telephone survey assessing the usefulness of the e-Devices functionalities (Likert scale of 1 to 7: not useful (1-2), neutral (3-5), useful (6-7)). The results were expressed in median, interquartile range (IQR), and percentage.

RESULTS: Data were collected from 499 patients from 23 cities in Colombia during April-May 2022 [RA (71.7%), axSpA (15.8%), PsO (6.6%), and PsA (5.8%)]. The median age was 57 years (IQR 50-61) and 73.7% were female. The time of previous experience with the injection device was 48 months (IRQ 24-93). The technical functionalities of the e-Device considered useful by more than 70% of the respondents were: use or check information recorded in the device app (92.0%); track of the disease symptoms (91.8%); reminder function of day and time of application and verification of the medication's expiration date (91.0%); reminder function for medical appointments, or prescription (89.6%); skin sensor (88.0%); injection tracking features (87.1%); injection site record (83.8%); tracking other medications (81.0%); hidden needle (80.7%), and messages or alert sounds (72.5%).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with rheumatic or dermatologic diseases treated with etanercept value as useful the functionalities of the e-Device that complement treatment administration. This suggests the patient preference for e-Device with these features.