18 November 2024
Each year we invite proposals for new guideline topics. In 2023, our members told us about a need for an evidence-based clinical guideline for the management of pain in people with inflammatory arthritis. The proposal was reviewed and approved by our Guidelines Steering Group, and we are excited to share the newly-published scope document for this guideline.
Guideline working group (GWG) Co-Chair, Nicholas Shenker, said:
"Chronic pain remains a blight for many patients with inflammatory arthritis of all causes, despite the fantastic advances in therapeutics. I am very excited that we have now defined the remit to produce high quality BSR guidelines that have the potential to transform clinical care for patients with inflammatory arthritis. Our hope is that every consultation should assess and manage pain appropriately for patients with inflammatory arthritis. Whilst there is no cure for chronic pain, recognising and discussing management options should be the very least of what is to be expected. These guidelines will support all healthcare professionals with the most up to date evidence about what works and should be used for all patients who report pain due to their inflammatory arthritis or its consequences."
A multiprofessional working group has been convened, with representatives across adult and paediatric care, as well as experts by experience. The guideline will cover three main areas:
- Assessment of pain, including what should be measured and how.
- Pharmacological treatments for pain, including analgesics, neuromodulators and immunosuppressants.
- Non-pharmacological treatments for pain, including exercise and physical therapy, psychological therapies, and ergonomics.
Guideline working group (GWG) Co-Chair, Ian Scott, said:
“I am excited to be working with Experts by Experience and colleagues from across the rheumatology multidisciplinary team on this important guideline. Pain is one of the commonest symptoms people with inflammatory arthritis have, with far reaching impacts on their lives. By reviewing published research studies in a systematic way and using their findings to make recommendations about the best way to both assess and treat pain in people with inflammatory arthritis, this guideline can help improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the UK".
Rebecca Beesley is one of the Expert by Experience members of the working group, who has juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), as well as a child with JIA. Rebecca said:
“Knowing that so many people of all ages, including children and young people, are affected by pain whilst living with inflammatory arthritis, I'm hopeful that this important BSR guideline will enable those people (myself included) to get the holistic approach to care that is so needed. This guideline should bring about a better standard of care for all by looking at all the evidence that exists and creating this best practice guidance. Being part of the BSR's Guideline Working Group for inflammatory arthritis has been such a worthwhile experience and the title of 'Expert by Experience' truly reflects that my views are appreciated and listened to.”
The guideline will be developed using the methods and processes outlined in the Creating Clinical Guidelines: British Society for Rheumatology Protocol.
- The full scope can be accessed now in the BSR open-access journal, Rheumatology Advances In Practice, here.
- The full guideline is expected to be published in 2026.
- Access all the BSR guidelines via the guidelines homepage.