Table 4.
Factors influencing referral to rheumatologist for rheumatoid arthritis
| Likelihood of referring | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total cohort | Very likely | Possible | Unlikely | |
| (n = 266a) | (n = 189) | (n = 73) | (n = 4) | |
| Situations leading up to referral | ||||
| Advanced disease | 213 (80%) | 153 (81%) | 60 (82%) | 0 (0%) |
| Patient desire for a referral | 211 (79%) | 153 (81%) | 54 (74%) | 4 (100%) |
| Uncomfortable prescribing DMARDs | 186 (70%) | 152 (80%) | 33 (45%) | 1 (25%) |
| Patient comorbidities | 107 (40%) | 85 (45%) | 20 (27%) | 2 (50%) |
| Other | 14 (5%) | 11 (6%) | 3 (4%) | 0 (0%) |
| Patients report of difficulty getting rheumatology appointmentb | ||||
| Yes, most of the time | 74 (44%) | 49 (40%) | 25 (57%) | 0 (0%) |
| No, never | 95 (56%) | 74 (60%) | 19 (43%) | 2 (50%) |
| Main reason for not referring | ||||
| Do not know a rheumatologist | 19 (7%) | 10 (5%) | 9 (12%) | 0 (0%) |
| Rheumatology appointment too difficult to get | 73 (27%) | 46 (24%) | 27 (37%) | 0 (0%) |
| No need | 63 (24%) | 32 (17%) | 27 (37%) | 4 (100%) |
| Insurance problems | 107 (40%) | 74 (39%) | 33 (45%) | 0 (0%) |
| Other | 48 (18%) | 37 (20%) | 11 (15%) | 0 (0%) |
aOne missing response. bOne hundred three missing responses because of an error in the electronic survey. DMARD, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug.