Nurse-led care is preferred over GP-led care of gout and improves gout outcomes: results of Nottingham Gout Treatment Trial follow-up study

Abstract

Objectives: To explore patient satisfaction, gout knowledge, medication adherence and flares among participants receiving nurse-led or general practitioner (GP)-led care of gout in the Nottingham Gout Treatment Trial phase-II (NGTT-II).

Methods: A total of 438 participants of NGTT-II were sent a questionnaire enquiring about gout knowledge, satisfaction with health-care practitioner, urate-lowering treatment being undertaken, and gout flares ⩾1 year after their final visit. Nurse-led care participants were asked about their preference for receiving gout treatment from either a GP or a nurse.

Results: Completed questionnaires were returned by 82% of participants. Participants previously receiving nurse-led care reported greater satisfaction with health-care practitioner (P < 0.001), had better gout knowledge (P = 0.02), were more likely to be taking urate-lowering treatment [adjusted relative risk (95% CI) 1.19 (1.09, 1.30)], and self-reported fewer flares in the previous 12 months [median (inter-quartile range) 0 (0-0) vs 1 (0-3), P < 0.001] than those receiving GP-led care. Of participants receiving nurse-led care, 41-63% indicated preference for receiving gout treatment from a nurse, while only 5-20% indicated preference for receiving treatment from GPs.

Conclusion: The results of this study favour nurse-led care, involving individualized patient education and engagement and a treat-to-target strategy, in terms of patient acceptability, long-term adherence, and flares. Further research is required to evaluate the feasibility of implementing such a model of care in clinical practice.

Keywords: adherence; gout; patient education; urate-lowering treatment.