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General

       Do I have to participate?

Your participation is completely voluntary.

If you do agree to take part, you can withdraw at any time by contacting your rheumatology department and asking them to have your details removed.

       I am unsure how to answer a question?

If you are unsure about how to answer a question, please check the corresponding hover box by placing your mouse over the blue (?) sign next to the question.

If you are still unclear, please contact the NRAS helpline on 01628 823 524.

       What is the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR)?

BSR are the UK's leading specialist medical society for rheumatology and musculoskeletal professionals. BSR supports their members to help deliver the best care for patients, in order to improve the lives of children and adults with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease. For more information, please visit the BSR website.

       Why am I being asked about my mental health?

Nationally there is a drive to explore the impact of medical problems such as arthritis on the mental health of patients. To improve support in an area which can be overlooked, some brief questions to assess the mental wellbeing of patients are therefore included in the patient questionnaires.

About NEIAA (National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit)

       How is data being collected?

Data collection will take place via two online data collection web tools – one for your rheumatology clinician and one for you.

We would like you to provide information via myarthritisaudit.org.uk. To access the website, you will receive a link and instructions to your email address.

If you do not have internet access or would prefer not to use the website, you can still participate. Your rheumatology clinician can provide you with paper questionnaires that you can complete and return to them.

Depending on your diagnosis, you will be asked to complete forms after your first appointment, after 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. You do not need to remember the dates as we will send a reminder to your email address.

       How long will the audit continue for?

The audit is currently funded for until September 2025 with the possibility of a further extension.

       What is Early Inflammatory Arthritis (EIA)?

Inflammatory arthritis is a term used to describe a group of conditions which affect your immune system. The three most common forms of inflammatory arthritis are: rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis.

For more information visit https://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/inflammatory-arthritis-pathway.aspx

       What is the audit about?

An audit is a process of gathering information, here this is done through questionnaires. The National Early inflammatory Arthritis Audit is designed so that the results help clinicians improve the quality of care for patients with inflammatory arthritis and control their joint inflammation. For patients the aim is that you may become more aware of the care you receive and more able to take control of your health.

       When will you report outcomes of the audit?

Annual reports specifically for patients will be published from Autumn 2019.

       Who can take part in the audit?

The audit will include all NHS hospitals in England and Wales that provide specialist rheumatology outpatient services. Private providers of NHS-funded rheumatology outpatient services are also eligible to take part.

All patients referred to these services with suspected early inflammatory arthritis are entered into the audit, but we only require patient questionnaires from those with a confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid or rheumatoid pattern arthritis.

       Who is running the audit?

BSR (the British Society for Rheumatology) was awarded the contract to run the audit in partnership with Net Solving (who also run the IT for a number of other national audits). We are also working closely with the academic unit at Kings College London, who will provide statistical analysis capability.

       Who will my data be shared with?

Your data will be shared with Net Solving, and then Kings College London. All information will be anonymised, so we will not see your name, date of birth or post code.

Technical difficulties

       Can I save my progress?

Yes you can. This will allow you to return at a later time and pick up from where you left off.

       How long will it take to enter information online?

It should take around 10-15 minutes to complete the forms. You can save your progress and finish the forms later if that is easier for you.

       I am having problems logging in/registering?

To login to the audit, you first need to make sure you are registered.

Please go to the patient registration page, and enter your information. You will need your Case ID, which will be on the email we sent you asking to fill in our questionnaire, your postcode and your NHS number.

If you are receiving the error 'incorrect information' then it means the information you are entering does not match the information entered by the clinician. Speak to your rheumatology department to check they have entered your details correctly.

Once you have created a password, you will be able to login.

Go to the login page, accept the terms and conditions, and then enter your email and password.

The questionnaires can be found under the 'patient follow-ups' tab.

If you have forgotten your password, it can be reset here: https://www.myarthritisaudit.org.uk/account/ResetPasswordRequestMYPatientPortal

If you are still struggling with logging in, please contact the audit team at audit@rheumatology.org.uk

       I have entered incorrect information, what should I do?

If you have submitted your form but need to change an answer, please email us at audit@rheumatology.org.uk and we will unlock your form for you.

       Unable to submit forms

Make sure all the questions have been answered.

Then, check that you cannot click 'next' and are on the final page - this is a page asking about being contacted for further studies on the baseline form which is often missed.

Click 'save' and then 'submit'.

If the submit button is greyed out even after these steps, contact us.

       Why was I logged off?

In order to comply with Information Governance guidelines, this website has an automatic timeout after 20 minutes. Please remember to save your work throughout your session, so you do not lose the work you have completed.

Contact us

       Can I offer feedback?

For further information or to provide any constructive feedback please email audit@rheumatology.org.uk

       Where can I find more support for my condition?

For more information about Inflammatory Arthritis, please contact your local rheumatology department, or contact the charities below.

Charities:

National Opt-out

       What if I do not want to have my information included?

You have the right to have your personal information removed from the audit at any time. Please contact your rheumatology team to let them know that you do not wish to be included. Your rheumatology team will then ensure that your personal details are not entered onto the audit database.

       What is National Data Opt-out (NDO) and how is it relevant to this audit?

The national data opt-out (NDO) allows patients to choose not to have their confidential health information used for purposes other than their individual treatment and care. Whilst this audit has special legal permissions (Section 251 approval) to collect confidential information without patient consent, it is not exempt from the national data opt-out (NDO). Therefore, clinicians will have to check a patient's NDO status before submitting any confidential patient information.

You can find out about how patient information is used here.

You can find out more about NDO here.