Screening and Referral Strategies for the Early Recognition of Psoriatic Arthritis Among Patients With Psoriasis: Results of a GRAPPA Survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the experiences of dermatologists and rheumatologists in the early recognition of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and to identify potential improvements to the current shared-care model. METHODS: A 24-question survey addressing referral strategies was constructed by the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) project steering committee and sent to all members (n = 927). Questions addressed the use of screening tools, frequency of PsA in patients with psoriasis, therapeutic decision making, and suggestions for earlier PsA recognition and current unmet needs. RESULTS: There were 149 respondents (16.1% response rate), which included 113 rheumatologists from 37 countries and 26 dermatologists from 16 countries. Of the dermatologists, 81% use PsA-specific screening instruments. Conversely, rheumatologists reported that only 26.8% of patients referred to them from all sources had been assessed with screening tools. Although dermatologists reported that a mean of 67% of suspected PsA cases were confirmed, rheumatologists reported a mean of 47.9% of confirmed cases. Both specialties reported similar views regarding optimization of the diagnostic process and indicated that the best approach involved combining patient-reported (ie, screening tools) and physician-confirmed findings. Moreover, both specialties identified the education of primary care physicians (PCPs) and dermatologists as the greatest priority to improve PsA screening. CONCLUSION: The survey indicated the current unmet needs in the early recognition of PsA. Important areas to address include improving the use of screening instruments, increasing the education of community-based dermatologists and PCPs, and using a combination of patient-reported and physician-confirmed findings in the screening approach.

Duke Scholars

Author Niti Goel Medicine, Rheumatology and Immunology