Remote Monitoring in the Treatment of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Feedback

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic progressive disease that, if not adequately treated, causes persistent disability in the first years after the onset of the disease. The modern "Treat to target" strategy used today in the treatment of RA suggests time frames for assessing disease activity for timely correction of therapy, achieving and maintaining treatment results. This is every 3 months until remission or low RA activity, and every 6 months after. However, some patients are unable to visit a rheumatologist with the required frequency. In recent years, the subject of scientific interest of scientists has been the search for methods and practical solutions that allow avoiding an increase in the time intervals between doctor consultations and thereby facilitating adequate disease control. To improve treatment results in rheumatology, electronic medical records, artificial intelligence, wearable devices with the ability to transmit data, including to mobile devices, are used. This study examined the role of remote monitoring of patients' condition using a program for remote monitoring of the effectiveness of treatment for patients with RA. This article examines usability, user satisfaction, and the difficulties and problems encountered while working with the program as perceived by patients who have experience with remote monitoring. Feedback was collected from patients who were monitored remotely for 12 months. The results obtained can serve as a basis for future larger studies evaluating the quality, effectiveness, and usability of similar programs for remote monitoring of patients with chronic diseases.