Utilizing a Patient Navigator to Improve Oral DMARD Medication Adherence among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Non-adherence to disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) is common and associated with several modifiable patient and system factors, including lack of patient education, side effects, disease activity, perceptions about medication effectiveness, attitudes towards medication use, self-efficacy regarding medication adherence and health system barriers. The overall goal of this intervention is to utilize a patient navigator, a layperson trained to guide patients through the health care system based on their individual needs, to reduce oral DMARD non-adherence among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The navigator model has been used to improve cancer screening and chronic disease management and to reduce health disparities. The “DMARD Adherence Navigator” that we proposed will address both patient-centered and system-level factors that contribute to oral DMARD non-adherence.