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Primary care providers’ awareness, knowledge, and practice with regard to cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

PCPs’ awareness, knowledge, and practice with regard to CV risks in patients with RA

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Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic auto-inflammatory disease associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Early identification and aggressive cardiovascular risk factor modification are critical for improvement in morbidity and mortality in patients with RA. This study is a cross-sectional survey with the purpose of evaluating primary care providers’ awareness, practice patterns, and satisfaction with continuing medical education on cardiovascular risk in patients with RA. Our study showed that 71% of clinicians felt that the CME on RA patient management regarding CV risk factors is inadequate. Only 37% of providers reported feeling well prepared to manage CV risk for RA patients. Only 15% of participants were actively initiating a discussion regarding CV risk with RA patients. A better understanding of the educational needs and practice patterns of primary care providers may warrant the development of strategies for cardiovascular risk management in patients with RA.

Key Points

• There is a need for increased physician awareness of RA as a novel risk factor for CAD as well as the importance of managing this risk.

• Our findings demonstrate a lack of physician satisfaction with current continuing medical education on cardiovascular risk and its management in patients with RA.

• The impact of low-dose aspirin on cardiovascular risk in individuals with RA is ill-defined. As a result, low-dose aspirin is underutilized in this population.

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  1. Department of Medicine, Orange Regional Medical Center, 707 East Main Street, Middletown, NY, 10940, USA

    Stella Pak

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  1. Stella Pak
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Correspondence to Stella Pak.

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This study is a quality improvement study. Thus, it is exempt from the institutional ethics review.

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Pak, S. Primary care providers’ awareness, knowledge, and practice with regard to cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Rheumatol 39, 755–760 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-019-04901-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-019-04901-x

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