Group visits for rheumatoid arthritis patients: a pilot study

This pilot study explored the feasibility of a group visit model for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and for medical staff at a private practice. RA patients were invited to attend six 3.5-h-long group visit sessions held once per month at a wellness center. Each included group discussion, individual patient examinations, interactive question, and answer periods, and topic-specific presentations from various health professionals. Nineteen of the 24 RA patients invited to the group visits agreed to attend, and 13 to 15 were present at any given session. Participants expressed a high level of satisfaction in evaluation forms completed at the end of the last session. Group visits allowed the rheumatologist to spend more time providing advice for various health issues and eliminated the need to repeat advice about common issues. This group visit model is feasible for motivated RA patients who can meet the time commitment involved.