ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2021
Facilitators and barriers in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis as described by general practitioners: a Danish study based on focus group interviews.
Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Candidacy 2.0 (CC) - an enhanced theory of access to healthcare for chronic conditions: lessons from a critical interpretive synthesis on access to rheumatoid arthritis care.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- RhePort 1.3 enhances early identification of inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a prospective study in German rheumatology settings.Rheumatology international · 2025Trial
- How do general practitioners diagnose and refer potential rheumatic musculoskeletal complaints? A scoping review.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Article
- First Contact Physiotherapists (FCPs) Referral Practices to Rheumatology: A Scoping Review of the Evidence Base.Musculoskeletal care · 2026Article
- Machine learning improves online self-referral for inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a registry-based validation study.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- Open-access clinic for arthralgia: patient flow and diagnostic pathways-a retrospective cohort study.EULAR rheumatology open · 2026Article
- Prednisone prescribing for rheumatoid arthritis management in primary care: Mixed-methods study of trends and patient perspectives.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2026Article
- Article
- The patient journey in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: a systematic review.EULAR rheumatology open · 2025Article
- Identifying people at risk of rheumatoid arthritis in primary care: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Sociodemographic and economic barriers to initial specialist care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a scoping review.BMC rheumatology · 2025Article
- Patient-Reported Outcomes of Depression and Fibromyalgia Symptoms Do Not Predict Non-Inflammatory versus Inflammatory Diagnoses at Initial Rheumatology Consultation.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Primary Care: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- First contact physiotherapists: are they able to reduce the burden on rheumatology services? A critical review of the evidence base.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2024Review
- Barriers to the Diagnosis of Early Inflammatory Arthritis: A Literature Review.Open access rheumatology : research and reviews · 2023Review
- Practices among General Practitioners in Rheumatoid Arthritis (GEPRA-I): results of a region-wide online survey.BMC primary care · 2022Article
- A multicentre validation study of a smartphone application to screen hand arthritis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo explore the perspectives of general practitioners (GPs) on facilitators and barriers in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
designQualitative study based on focus group interviews, and using latent thematic analysis.
settingGeneral practices from Central Region Denmark. SUBJECTS: Eleven GPs participated in three different focus groups. Forty percent were female, the mean age was 53 years (range 37-64), and the mean since medical licensing was 16 years (range 5-23). Sixty percent of the GPs worked in an area served by a university hospital, and 40% were served by a regional hospital.
main outcome measureThemes describing experiences and reflections about facilitators and barriers in diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis.
resultsFour themes emerged: (A) If the patient is not a textbook example, (B) The importance of maintaining the gatekeeper function, (C) Difficulties in referral of patients to the rheumatologist, and (D) Laboratory tests-can they be trusted? Barriers were identified in all themes, but facilitators only in A, C, and D. The overarching theme was
conclusionThe GPs found several barriers for diagnosing RA (symptom awareness, GP's gatekeeper function, suboptimal collaboration with rheumatologists and limitations in laboratory tests). They identified education, more specific tests and better access to rheumatologists as possible facilitators for diagnosing RA. To facilitate earlier referral of suspected RA in general practice and strengthen mutual information and collaboration, future research should focus on these facilitators and barriers.KeypointsEarly diagnosis is essential for the prognosis of RA, and the diagnostic process begins in general practice.Suggested facilitators: training courses in interpretation of laboratory tests and the clinical manifestation of RA, and videos on joint examinations.Suggested barriers: compliance with the gatekeeper function, suboptimal collaboration with rheumatologists, limitations of laboratory tests, and diversity of clinical manifestations.
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