Patient education in the rheumatic diseases: A research agenda

Despite the explosion of research in patient education and compliance, little has been specific to rheumatology until the last few years. Many effective educational techniques can be borrowed from research on other chronic diseases. Research should be theory based, but it should also emphasize the testing of various combinations of intervention strategies. Fertile research areas include access to care, patient‐provider interaction, adherence to medical regimens, and diffusion of practical educational skills among caregivers. Common limitations in research methodology are identified and addressed in this paper.