Applicability of the EULAR recommendations on the role of the nurse in the management of chronic inflammatory arthritis in Portugal

Objectives: To evaluate the level of agreement and applicability of the EULAR recommendations for the role of the nurse in the management of chronic inflammatory arthritis in Portugal. Methods: Nurses from all Portuguese rheumatology centers were invited to fill-in a questionnaire addressing the level of agreement (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree) and the level of confidence (1=no confidence to 5=complete confidence) in the applicability of each of the recommendations. Comparisons were established between subgroups of nurses. Results: A total of 75 nurses (85% female; mean (SD) of 3.9 (4.1) years of practice, 32% with some type of training in rheumatology) participated in the study. The mean level of agreement with the recommendations was 4.8 (SD 0.3). The level of confidence in their full applicability was 3.6 (SD 0.8). Significantly more nurses with rheumatology training totally agreed with recommendations 7 (88% vs 73%, p=0.03) and 3 (96% vs 65% p=0.04) and were fully confident in the applicability of recommendations 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10, comparing with those without specific training. Conclusions: The overall level of agreement with EULAR recommendations among Portuguese nurses is high, although rheumatology does not exist as a nursing specialty. Agreement and confidence in the applicability of these recommendations is higher among nurses with specific training, underlining the importance of continuous education for future commitment.