The choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease: A real-life study.

<h4>Introduction</h4>Many factors influence how doctors make treatment decisions. The study compares the outcomes of patients with rheumatic diseases and adequate control (AC) whose treating rheumatologists prescribed their first choice of treatment (FCHO) versus the second choice (SCHO)...

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Main Authors: Irazú Contreras-Yáñez, Guillermo A Guaracha-Basáñez, Diana Padilla-Ortiz, Laura L Franco-Mejía, Laura V Vargas-Sánchez, Julia G Jiménez-Decle, Virginia Pascual-Ramos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315478
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author Irazú Contreras-Yáñez
Guillermo A Guaracha-Basáñez
Diana Padilla-Ortiz
Laura L Franco-Mejía
Laura V Vargas-Sánchez
Julia G Jiménez-Decle
Virginia Pascual-Ramos
author_facet Irazú Contreras-Yáñez
Guillermo A Guaracha-Basáñez
Diana Padilla-Ortiz
Laura L Franco-Mejía
Laura V Vargas-Sánchez
Julia G Jiménez-Decle
Virginia Pascual-Ramos
author_sort Irazú Contreras-Yáñez
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Introduction</h4>Many factors influence how doctors make treatment decisions. The study compares the outcomes of patients with rheumatic diseases and adequate control (AC) whose treating rheumatologists prescribed their first choice of treatment (FCHO) versus the second choice (SCHO) and the motivations behind them. It also investigates the motivations associated with FCHO.<h4>Patients and methods</h4>The study was conducted at an outpatient clinic from February 2023 to February 2024. Patients with an RMD diagnosis were identified using systematic sampling (P-1). After their consultation, their rheumatologists detailed their treatment choice (FCHO vs. SCHO), the motivations behind it, and the outcomes. In a subsample of patients from P-1 and AC (SubP-1), treating rheumatologists repeated the assessment of outcomes at the next scheduled consultation. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis were used.<h4>Results</h4>There were 703 patients enrolled (P-1), 543 (77.2%) had AC, and 292 (Subp-1) underwent a follow-up evaluation. In P-1 and subP-1, FCHO was prescribed to 644 (91.5%) and 269 (92.1%) patients. Motivations related to evidence-based medicine and personal experience were more frequently referred to in FCHO. Concerns related to current or future drug shortages and a history of adverse events/intolerance were more frequent in SCHO. In SubP-1, a higher proportion of patients remained in AC and experienced remission/ improved disease activity with FCHO. Patients who received FCHO experienced a greater risk for favorable outcomes. The following motivations were associated with FCHO: "It aligns with guidelines"; "solid scientific evidence supporting the treatment effectiveness"; "I am concerned that the shortage of the drug may hinder the continuation of the treatment" and "history of adverse events or intolerance".<h4>Conclusions</h4>Patients with AC of their underlying RMD, whose rheumatologists prescribed their FCHO, had better outcomes than those who were prescribed SCHO. Evidence-based motivations, rheumatologists´ concern of medication shortage, and patient-related motivations were associated with FCHO.
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spelling doaj-art-c0c26b7478d74c4bb85887b2c4ceb6ec2024-12-17T05:31:42ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-011912e031547810.1371/journal.pone.0315478The choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease: A real-life study.Irazú Contreras-YáñezGuillermo A Guaracha-BasáñezDiana Padilla-OrtizLaura L Franco-MejíaLaura V Vargas-SánchezJulia G Jiménez-DecleVirginia Pascual-Ramos<h4>Introduction</h4>Many factors influence how doctors make treatment decisions. The study compares the outcomes of patients with rheumatic diseases and adequate control (AC) whose treating rheumatologists prescribed their first choice of treatment (FCHO) versus the second choice (SCHO) and the motivations behind them. It also investigates the motivations associated with FCHO.<h4>Patients and methods</h4>The study was conducted at an outpatient clinic from February 2023 to February 2024. Patients with an RMD diagnosis were identified using systematic sampling (P-1). After their consultation, their rheumatologists detailed their treatment choice (FCHO vs. SCHO), the motivations behind it, and the outcomes. In a subsample of patients from P-1 and AC (SubP-1), treating rheumatologists repeated the assessment of outcomes at the next scheduled consultation. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis were used.<h4>Results</h4>There were 703 patients enrolled (P-1), 543 (77.2%) had AC, and 292 (Subp-1) underwent a follow-up evaluation. In P-1 and subP-1, FCHO was prescribed to 644 (91.5%) and 269 (92.1%) patients. Motivations related to evidence-based medicine and personal experience were more frequently referred to in FCHO. Concerns related to current or future drug shortages and a history of adverse events/intolerance were more frequent in SCHO. In SubP-1, a higher proportion of patients remained in AC and experienced remission/ improved disease activity with FCHO. Patients who received FCHO experienced a greater risk for favorable outcomes. The following motivations were associated with FCHO: "It aligns with guidelines"; "solid scientific evidence supporting the treatment effectiveness"; "I am concerned that the shortage of the drug may hinder the continuation of the treatment" and "history of adverse events or intolerance".<h4>Conclusions</h4>Patients with AC of their underlying RMD, whose rheumatologists prescribed their FCHO, had better outcomes than those who were prescribed SCHO. Evidence-based motivations, rheumatologists´ concern of medication shortage, and patient-related motivations were associated with FCHO.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315478
spellingShingle Irazú Contreras-Yáñez
Guillermo A Guaracha-Basáñez
Diana Padilla-Ortiz
Laura L Franco-Mejía
Laura V Vargas-Sánchez
Julia G Jiménez-Decle
Virginia Pascual-Ramos
The choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease: A real-life study.
PLoS ONE
title The choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease: A real-life study.
title_full The choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease: A real-life study.
title_fullStr The choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease: A real-life study.
title_full_unstemmed The choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease: A real-life study.
title_short The choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease: A real-life study.
title_sort choice of treatment and the motivations behind it impact clinical outcomes among patients with adequate control of their rheumatic disease a real life study
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315478
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