A VITAL FEW MINUTES - HOW A PATIENT PASSPORT COULD HELP MAKE BEST USE OF CONSULTATIONS WITH YOUR DOCTOR

L. Carton , N. Caeyers , S. Capela , S. Duthoit , R.A. Johnstone , K. Llewelyn , J. Mäder AFLAR, People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe, Paris, France, People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe, ReumaNet vzw, Heverlee, Belgium, People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe, Liga Portuguesa contra as Doenças Reumáticas, Lisbon, Portugal, People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe, CLAIR, Templeuve, Belgium, People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe, Arthritis Care, People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe, Arthritis Care, London, United Kingdom, People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe, Rheumaliga Schweiz, Zurich, SwitzerlandPatient Passports provide an innovative way of improving the quality of consultation time and doctor/patient satisfaction, by capturing information that is important to both patients and the doctors caring for them.A patient passport is a small booklet in which people with arthritis/rheumatism can record personalised health information to help facilitate better communication with their doctors and wider multidisciplinary healthcare team. The passport comes in two parts; a fixed section in which patients enter contact details, other useful information and, with the help of their doctor, their medical history. The second part of the passport is a removable diary section for patients to complete on a weekly basis. At the start of the diary section patients are asked to complete an assessment of their current physical and emotional status, as well as the medications they are taking and any physical and/or complimentary therapies they are receiving. Using simple symbols and a notes page, patients can then easily record weekly changes in their status, which can then be compared to the benchmark and/or their last consultation.For many patients it can be the small things that matter, but patients may not feel comfortable raising them, or they can be overlooked or forgotten at the time of the consultation. The passport has been developed by People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe (PARE) Manifesto in consultation with doctors. It aims to help bridge the gap between what patients and doctors expect and need from a consultation, which could lead to a breakdown in communications and lack of satisfaction from both perspectives.When consultation time is precious, every minute counts. The passport helps patients provide their doctor with a focused and relevant overview of changes in their health and valuable clinical information, as well as to set objectives and prepare questions. A tear off sheet is provided with the passport for patients to complete as an aide memoir for each consultation.The passport empowers patients to take a more active and meaningful role in their ongoing management, whilst providing doctors with a focused summary of information on which to base their medical assessments and treatment options. For people with a chronic condition the consultation process is continuous and the passport helps to record and map ongoing changes. Moreover, use of PARE Manifesto's patient passport raises awareness of being a European citizen with a rheumatic condition, which is one of PARE Manifesto 's objectives.Belgium is the first country in which patients and doctors will have an opportunity to test the passport in both the Dutch and French speaking sectors. This test is led by patient groups, ReumaNet vzw and CLAIR respectively. An evaluation of the Belgium pilot will be presented at the EULAR congress by Laurence Carton from AFLAR, and Nele Caeyers from ReumaNet, both members of the PARE Manifesto working group, on Wednesday, 13 June from 13:00 - 14:30 in room P1-131/32.Patient passports are a World Arthritis Day (WAD) project, which this year has the theme of Small things that matter. Templates for the passport and support materials will be available on the WAD website www.worldarthritisday.org for Social Leagues to adapt and translate for use in their countries from the end of June 2007.PARE Manifesto is piloting another WAD project with Arthritis Care in the UK, which will feature video diaries made by people with arthritis/rheumatism showing some of the challenges they face in their daily lives. The video diaries will be edited together to create short films to be used for campaigning at a national and European level.To view the Belgium passports and the UK video diaries and learn more about these exciting WAD projects, visit the PARE Manifesto/EULAR Social Leagues exhibition stand in the exhibition hall.Citation: Ann Rheum Dis, volume 66, supplement II, year 2007, page 2Session: Small things matter, overcoming small barriers