Abstract
Specialized rheumatologists at rheumatology centers should be more aware about primary care physicians' attitudes toward medical cooperation for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. A questionnaire survey was carried out. A total of 51 physicians consisted of 15 Rheumatology Board certification (RA-certified) and 36 non-certified physicians. Most physicians replied that they could accept treating RA patients, after stable control of arthritis had been achieved at a rheumatology center. Non-RA-certified physicians were more likely than RA-certified physicians to feel it difficult to accept patients who have been prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and to treat RA symptoms, whereas they were less likely to feel uncomfortable about controlling RA complications (p<0.05). These results are mainly due to primary care physicians not being sufficiently informed about the latest RA treatment. In order to establish medical cooperation in RA treatments, more vigorous education of primary care physicians, especially non-RA-certified physicians, should be conducted by specialized rheumatologists at rheumatology centers.
