Grant: Catalyst Grant: eHealth Innovations

For people with rheumatoid arthritis, current research recommends an early and aggressive treatment approach. This involves a process called 'Treat to Target', in which doctors continue to adjust the medication until the disease is in remission, or when the patient is at a state of low disease activity with very few inflamed joints. Patients typically start with one or a combination of the commonly used disease-modifying drugs, and if 'the target' is not met, a biologic agent will be added. However, patients frequently struggle with the decision to start these medications because of the concern of potential side effects. To assist patients in making an informed decision, we will develop a new decision aid for individuals who are considering biologic therapy. Patient decision aids are tools that are designed to help people choose between two or more treatment options. They help individuals clarify their personal values towards benefits and harms, and communicate this information to their doctors, so they can make a decision together about the treatment plan. This new decision aid will be developed as an app that can be used online or via a mobile device. Once developed, we will test if this new app improves patients' knowledge and decisions about using biologics. To ensure the future use of this decision aid in clinical practice, we will integrate the app in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Passport that is currently being developed with Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. In addition, our ongoing collaboration with The Arthritis Society will ensure its dissemination across the country.