Despite advancements in the understanding of the pathogenesis of gout, some patients still receive suboptimal care. In this slideshow, we highlight recommendations for improvement as stated by the experts.
Despite advancements in the understanding of the pathogenesis of gout and its association with multiple comorbidities, some patients worldwide still receive suboptimal care. The failure to treat patients may not be in the availability of treatments, but perhaps elsewhere. Robert Terkeltaub, M.D., and colleagues suggest it may be in the lack of provider and patient education; the failure to employ lifestyle interventions; the failure to adopt pharmacologic measures, and perhaps simply, in therapeutic inertia. In this slideshow, we highlight six recommendations Dr. Terkeltaub, of the VA San Diego Healthcare System, and colleagues, made for improving gout outcomes. Their recommendations, which they describe as a road map, were published as a review in the Dec. 28, 2016 issue of Arthritis Care and Research. “We look beyond charted paths to propose a road map for how we can improve the global outcomes of gout in patients by venturing beyond the currently established generation of treatment measures and targets,” the authors wrote. Their recommendations emphasize the need to develop and employ precision medicine.Â
Nicola Dalbeth, Hyon K. Choi and Robert Terkeltaub. “Gout: A Roadmap to Approaches for Improving Global Outcomes,” Arthritis Care and Research. Dec. 28, 2016. Vol. 69, No. 1, January 2017, pp 22–34 DOI:10.1002/art.39799