METHODS OF ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Abstract

The strategic goal of health care is to maintain and enhance health, prolong life expectancy and improve it’s quality. In view of this, the assessment of the quality of patients life with diseases is an important medical and social task in the context of determining the effectiveness of treatment and justification and development of preventive measures and corrective actions. The relevance of assessing the quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis is obvious, given the prevalence among the population and the severity of the pathology, reforming the health care system, complicating factors, including the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic [1]. There is a need to include quality of life assessment in the list of mandatory research methods to study the effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the dynamics, given the long course of the disease and it’s impact on daily life. In modern conditions, a number of methods and tools are used to assess the quality of life of patients, which have their own characteristics and benefits. Obviously, the search for more accurate methods of assessing the quality of life of this category of patients will continue, which will become the standard for assessing the effectiveness of treatment. Numerous studies confirm that rheumatoid arthritis causes a deterioration in all aspects of quality of life, including mental health disorders and social dysfunction. Disease activity, assessed using the DAS-28 scale [2], is the most prognostic factor in patients. It negatively correlates with quality of life and positively correlates with depression and anxiety. According to modern intensive changes in approaches to the organization of health care, systemic challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to identify and apply rapid and most effective methods of assessing the condition of patients with chronic pathology, including rheumatoid arthritis, before and after treatment. It is also important to identify the main factors that lead to a decrease in the quality of life of patients, and to develop an action plan to optimize the organization of medical care in accordance with the needs of patients.