Podiatry services for patients with arthritis: an unmet need

Date
2010-03-05
Authors
Rome, K
Chapman, JM
Williams, AE
Gow, P
Dalbeth, N
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
New Zealand Medical Association
Abstract

Foot problems are extremely common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There is ample evidence that foot pain, either alone or as a comorbidity, contributes significantly to disability. Despite the high prevalence of foot disease in RA, this problem is often trivialised or underappreciated. The inequity in foot health provision for patients with rheumatic disorders in New Zealand has recently been highlighted. Expertise in dealing with foot problems is often limited among healthcare professionals, and it has been argued that better integration of podiatric services into rheumatology services would be beneficial. The aim of this paper is to highlight the major issues related to foot care for patients with arthritis and provide key recommendations that should implemented to improve access to podiatric services in New Zealand.

Description
Keywords
Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Foot Diseases , Humans , Needs Assessment , New Zealand , Patient Care Team , Podiatry , Quality Assurance, Health Care
Source
New Zealand Medical Journal, vol.123(1310), pp.91 - 97
DOI
Rights statement
© New Zealand Medical Association, 2010. The definitive version was published in (see Citation). The original publication is available at (see Publisher's Version).