Recommendations of the European League Against Rheumatism - implications for nursing care

Chronic rheumatic diseases, which have a progressive and diversified progress, often lead to serious physical, emotional and social handicaps.

A therapeutic procedure in rheumatic diseases is complex and requires the cooperation of not only the therapeutic team, but also the
patient and his/her family in order to achieve the best therapeutic effects with the smallest possible side-effects for the patient’s health and
life. The nursing education is known to play a significant role in the preparation to life with a chronic disease. The preparation of the patient/their family to self-care should include the methods of pain relief, coping with disease aggravation periods and the adaptation of patients
and their environment to living with the handicap.

The nurses associated in the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) have made an attempt at the standardization of certain procedures
related to rheumatologic care.

The objective of this study is to present the recommendations of EULAR concerning the nursing of patients with rheumatic diseases and in particular
- rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, basing on the experience gained during a training session at the National Nursing Centre in Bern.
It seems that the unification of the European standards of care will help to improve the quality of nursing services and result in a higher
quality of life for patients.

Nursing Topics 2010; 18 (2): 232-238