Measuring the Impact of an Innovative Educational Intervention in Inflammatory Arthritis

Self-management is critical for patients with chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Such management requires that patients understand what to do to best manage their condition. This study will use a randomized controlled study design to evaluate the impact of a new educational intervention consisting of an educational digital video disc (DVD) and a self-management support session/teleconference with a multidisciplinary team of health care providers for patients (n=150) with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) starting on or changing biologic agents. This study aims to test whether this intervention improves behavioural intentions, knowledge, and medication adherence three months post-intervention and whether acquired knowledge is retained six months after the intervention. This project will allow to quantify the impact of the educational intervention on patients' behavioural intentions in practical situations using an existing validated questionnaire called BioSecure. The impact of the educational intervention on disease-specific knowledge and on medication adherence will be evaluated using validated questionnaires.