Introduction

Currently, there are three treatment options for RA patients: conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs; bDMARDs; and tsDMARDs. Together, the T2T strategy and pharmacologic options have led to improvement in quality of life and ADLs; however, patients have legitimate concerns about drug safety and cost. To enhance treatment compliance among RA patients, it is essential to understand treatment factors that contribute to patient satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

Study Design

This multicenter observational study involved 2235 RA patients from the Fukuoka Rheumatoid Arthritis Network (FRANK) Registry. Four categories of patient satisfaction were assessed using a 6-point scale (very satisfied, satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat unsatisfied, unsatisfied, and very unsatisfied): cost of treatment; treatment efficiency; ADLs; and global treatment. The following demographic and clinical data were elicited: age; gender; body mass index; job; disease duration; Steinbrocker stage; physician visual analog scale; tender 28-joint count; swollen 28-joint count; C-reactive protein (CRP); erythrocyte sedimentation rate; rheumatoid factor-positivity; anti-citrullinated protein antibody-positivity; treatment; and co-morbidities.

Results and Conclusion

The median patient age was 65 years. The median disease duration was 11 years and most patients had low-disease activity. Nearly 50% of patients were very satisfied or satisfied with cost of treatment, efficacy of treatment, ADLs, and global treatment. Older patients had higher global treatment satisfaction, but decreased ADL satisfaction. Cost satisfaction was associated with female gender and a history of musculoskeletal surgery. A lower EuroQol 5-dimensional questionnaire and higher disease activity were associated with lower overall satisfaction. Use of b/tsDMARDs was associated with lower cost satisfaction, but increased treatment and ADL satisfaction.