Assessing the knowledge level of rheumatoid arthritis and medication adherence of rheumatoid arthritis patients by a clinical pharmacist

This study evaluates the effect of pharmacist-led educational interventions on disease knowledge (disease information, pharmacological treatments, non-pharmacological treatments, comorbidity, self-care, and adaptive skills) and medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This prospective study was conducted in a pharmacy between March 1, 2025, and August 31, 2025. Data regarding disease knowledge and medication adherence were collected from RA patients at baseline and during a 12-week follow-up period. To measure the level of RA knowledge and medication adherence, the Rheumatoid Arthritis Knowledge Questionnaire (RAKE) and the Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology (CQR) were used, respectively A total of 95 patients were included in the study. After the pharmacist-led educational interventions, more patients responded correctly to domain disease knowledge (<0.001), pharmacological treatments (<0.001), non-pharmacological treatments (<0.001), comorbidity (<0.001), and self-care (<0.001). A statistically significant increase was observed in the total RAKE score (46.16 ± 16.16 vs. 72.96 ±14.40; p<0.001). When comparing the total CQR scores before and after education, a significant increase in medication adherence was observed after education (60.44±10.35 vs. 66.11±9.42; p<0.001 respectively). The study identified a significant association between disease knowledge level and female gender (before education: r=0.344, p=0.0011; after education: r=0.231, p=0.02). Additionally, it has been observed that medication adherence was higher in individuals with a prolonged duration of disease (after education: r=0.235, p=0.005) and in older adults (before education: r=0.384, p<0.001; after education: r=0.310, p=0.002). Rheumatoid arthritis patients' disease knowledge and medication adherence improved after the clinical pharmacist's intervention. To examine pharmacist-led interventions' sustainability and long-term effects, the study recommends larger, multi-center studies with longer follow-up durations.