TY - JOUR
T1 - Diagnostic delay in axial spondylarthritis
T2 - A lost battle?
AU - Barnett, Rosemarie
AU - Gaffney, Karl
AU - Sengupta, Raj
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Shreena Patel, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, for her assistance in the screening of relevant publications after conducting the targeted PubMed literature search.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Diagnostic delay in axial spondylarthritis (axSpA) remains an unacceptable worldwide problem; with evidence suggesting significant detrimental impact both clinically on the individual, and economically on society. There is therefore, a need for global action across various healthcare professions that come into contact with patients living, and suffering, with undiagnosed axSpA. Recent estimates of the median diagnostic delay suggest that globally, individuals with axSpA wait between 2 and 6 years for a diagnosis – revealing a clear benchmark for improvement. This timespan presents a window of opportunity for earlier diagnosis and intervention, which will likely improve patient outcomes. This review describes the current diagnostic delay as estimated across countries and over time, before presenting evidence from published strategies that may be implemented to improve this delay across primary and secondary care, including for specialties treating extra-musculoskeletal manifestations of axSpA (ophthalmology, gastroenterology, dermatology). Ongoing campaigns tackling delayed diagnosis in axSpA are also highlighted.
AB - Diagnostic delay in axial spondylarthritis (axSpA) remains an unacceptable worldwide problem; with evidence suggesting significant detrimental impact both clinically on the individual, and economically on society. There is therefore, a need for global action across various healthcare professions that come into contact with patients living, and suffering, with undiagnosed axSpA. Recent estimates of the median diagnostic delay suggest that globally, individuals with axSpA wait between 2 and 6 years for a diagnosis – revealing a clear benchmark for improvement. This timespan presents a window of opportunity for earlier diagnosis and intervention, which will likely improve patient outcomes. This review describes the current diagnostic delay as estimated across countries and over time, before presenting evidence from published strategies that may be implemented to improve this delay across primary and secondary care, including for specialties treating extra-musculoskeletal manifestations of axSpA (ophthalmology, gastroenterology, dermatology). Ongoing campaigns tackling delayed diagnosis in axSpA are also highlighted.
KW - Axial spondyloarthritis
KW - Diagnosis
KW - Early referral
KW - Healthcare professional education
KW - Quality improvement
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85169505434&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.berh.2023.101870
DO - 10.1016/j.berh.2023.101870
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85169505434
VL - 37
JO - Best Practice & Research: Clinical Rheumatology
JF - Best Practice & Research: Clinical Rheumatology
SN - 1521-6942
IS - 3
M1 - 101870
ER -