14 December 2022
BSR are developing a new guideline covering the management and care of foot health in inflammatory arthritis (IA) for adults, children and young people.
The guideline will be developed by members from rheumatology as well as a wider working group made up of lay people, podiatrists, physiotherapists, orthotists, general practitioners, orthopaedic surgeons, and specialist rheumatology nurses.
Lead for the working group, Edward Roddy, Professor of Rheumatology and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Keele University, said “Clear, culturally sensitive guidance regarding evidence-based strategies for the management of foot problems in people with IA will help all clinicians to provide high-quality care for their patients, service providers, and commissioners, to ensure that adequately resourced foot health services are available to meet the needs of patients.”
Lay member representative on the working group, Alan Rawlings, explained what the new guideline will mean for patients:
“Foot problems are very common in adults, children and young people with inflammatory arthritis (IA), but they are often underestimated by health professionals. People with IA are often frustrated that concerns relating to their feet appear to be ignored and trivialised yet they consistently report marked reduction in their quality of life. This new guidance will use evidence-based strategies to have a real, positive impact and help to better meet patients’ needs.”
The guideline also marks the first BSR guideline to be developed in a collaboration with the School of Medicine at Keele University, who will be supporting the evidence reviews of several BSR guidelines over the next three years.
Professor Ian Giles, Chair of our Standards, Audits and Guidelines Working Group (SAGWG), said “Creating our guidelines is a major voluntary effort by members, patients and practitioners, so this new relationship with researchers at Keele University will enable us to develop important guidance, faster, to support more clinical decision-making at the coalface.”
For more detail of what the guideline will cover, read the full scope here.
All BSR guidelines are published in Rheumatology under an ‘open access’ licence and available for free on the British Society for Rheumatology website.
NICE accredits our clinical guideline process; this is valid until December 2023.