[Team management of rheumatoid arthritis]

Abstract

The main objectives of team management of rheumatoid arthritis are to stop structural damage of joints and to reduce functional, psychological, socioprofessional and economic consequences. Team management requires the collaboration, around the patient, of a rheumatologist, a nurse, a psychologist, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, an orthopaedic surgeon at the same time, in the same place. More and more patients wish to manage their disease by themselves. Team care should not be proposed to every patient; it must be reserved to patients whose condition required such an approach because of the severity of the disease, comorbidity, psychological or socioprofessionnal difficulties. Team management should be personalized. Utility of team management is now accepted; out-patient administration is as effective as in-patient one. A good educational program is very important. However, search is still needed to define optimal modalities of team management and tools to measure the efficiency of this approach.