ArticleBMC rheumatology2025
Sociodemographic and economic barriers to initial specialist care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a scoping review.
Article in BMC rheumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Rheumatoid arthritis burden in 129 low- and middle-income countries from 1990 to 2023.iScience · 2026Article
- Global burden and inequalities of rheumatoid arthritis in adults aged 15-49 years from 1990 to 2021 and projections to 2050: a cross-sectional analysis from Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.Clinical rheumatology · 2026Article
- Global inequities in biologic and targeted DMARD use in rheumatoid arthritis: cross-sectional data from the international COVAD-2 cohort.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- Spatiotemporal trends and socioeconomic drivers of hip-knee osteoarthritis burden in East Asia: a GBD-based modeling study (1990-2023).Clinical rheumatology · 2026Article
- Usability and Cultural Relevance of an mHealth App for Hispanic/Latino Individuals Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause joint destruction, pain, loss of function, and reduced quality of life. Recent advancements in treatment have made it possible to control the impacts of this once-debilitating disease through early intervention. While numerous studies have examined barriers to rheumatoid arthritis care, no review has synthesized sociodemographic and economic factors across high-, upper middle-, and lower middle-income countries. This gap in the literature highlights the need for a comprehensive review that informs global health interventions. This review explores sociodemographic and economic barriers to initial specialist care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
methodsThe review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A search of CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus and Emcare was completed in May 2024.
resultsOf the 5165 studies identified through the literature search, 121 full-text articles were reviewed, and 25 studies examining sociodemographic and economic barriers to specialist care were selected for analysis. A total of 17 high-income, one upper middle-income and seven lower middle-income countries were represented. Low socioeconomic status, low income and rurality were consistently reported as barriers to initial rheumatologist appointments across all countries in this review.
conclusionThese findings underscore the importance of addressing common barriers such as low socioeconomic status and rurality in global health interventions. Future large prospective studies are essential to better understand the relationship between sociodemographic factors and timely access to care.
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