ArticleRheumatology international2023
Diagnostic delay stages and pre-diagnostic treatment in patients with suspected rheumatic diseases before special care consultation: results of a multicenter-based study.
Article in Rheumatology international, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Barriers and facilitators associated with diagnostic and treatment delays in lupus in the Global South and North: a systematic review of qualitative and mixed methods studies.Rheumatology international · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of pre-visit computer-assisted history-taking with a structured copy-ready summary on documentation completeness in screening for inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a randomized pilot study.BMC health services research · 2026Trial
- Large language models enhance diagnostic reasoning of medical students in rheumatology: a randomized controlled trial.BMC medical education · 2026Trial
- RhePort 1.3 enhances early identification of inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a prospective study in German rheumatology settings.Rheumatology international · 2025Trial
- When does laboratory completeness become a quality indicator in early arthritis referral?Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- Machine learning improves online self-referral for inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a registry-based validation study.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- Clinical spectrum and diagnostic outcomes of patients with suspected inflammatory rheumatic disease in the emergency department: a retrospective study.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- Real-world damage accrual in Sjögren's disease: a 5-year multicentre GIRRCS cohort analysis.RMD open · 2026Article
- [Survey on primary care for rheumatology patients in Lower Franconia and the contribution of digital health].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2026Article
- Diagnostic performance of Prof. Valmed, ChatGPT-5 Thinking, and OpenEvidence in rheumatology: A comparative evaluation.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- Design and validation of a referral algorithm for inflammatory arthritis and low back pain: identifying gaps in primary care practices.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Article
- Patient experiences, attitudes, and profiles regarding artificial intelligence in rheumatology: a German national cross-sectional survey study.Rheumatology international · 2025Article
- Patient self-assessment and virtual visit-based treatment decisions in rheumatoid arthritis: results from the multicentre Telemedicine in Rheumatoid Arthritis trial.EULAR rheumatology open · 2025Article
- Rheumatic? A diagnostic decision support tool for individuals suspecting rheumatic diseases: Mixed-methods usability and acceptability study.BMC rheumatology · 2025Article
- Between uncertainty and destiny: the patient journey in axial spondyloarthritis care from the perspectives of patients and their relatives.BMC rheumatology · 2025Article
- Orthopaedic physicians' awareness, diagnostic challenges and referral barriers in axial spondyloarthritis: insights from a nationwide survey in Germany.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2025Article
- Back on track - digital health applications to treat back pain of rheumatic patients? Results of a qualitative interview study.Rheumatology international · 2024Article
- Trends and gender disparities in the incidence of rheumatic diseases: a regional study from 2018 to 2021.Rheumatology international · 2024Article
- Prioritising Appointments by Telephone Interview: Duration from Symptom Onset to Appointment Request Predicts Likelihood of Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- [Rheumatological care in Germany : Memorandum of the German Society for Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology 2024].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2024Article
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18 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Early and effective discrimination (triage) of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) and other diseases (non-IRD) is essential for successful treatment and preventing damage. The aim of this study was to investigate diagnostic delays and pre-diagnosis treatment in patients newly presenting to rheumatology outpatient clinics. A total of 600 patients newly presenting to one university hospital and two non-academic centers were included. Time from onset of symptoms to rheumatology consultation "total delay" as well as medical treatment before consultation were recorded. Median time from symptom onset to rheumatologist appointment (total delay) was 30 weeks. Median time to online search, first physician appointment request and first physician appointment was 2, 4 and 5 weeks, respectively. Total delay was significantly shorter for IRD patients compared to non-IRD patients, 26 vs 35 weeks (p = 0.007). Only 17.7% of all patients and 22.9% of IRD patients had a delay of less than 12 weeks. Total delay was significantly lower in patients seen in non-academic centers compared to the university center, 20 vs 50 weeks (p < 0.0001). 32.2% of IRD patients received medical treatment that eased their symptoms prior to the rheumatology appointment. These findings highlight the persistent diagnostic delays in rheumatology; however, they also suggest that current triage strategies effectively lead to earlier appointments for IRD patients. Improvement of triage methods and pre-diagnosis treatment could decrease overall burden of disease in IRD patients.
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