Patient-reported Satisfaction with Current Clinical Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Kazakhstan

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Over the past decades, patient satisfaction has been increasingly recognized as a powerful tool to measure the quality of health-care services.
 AIM: This study evaluated the satisfaction of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with current clinical management in Semey, East Kazakhstan, and explored the factors associated with dissatisfaction.
 METHODS: All adult SLE patients registered at health-care facilities of Semey were enrolled in a cross-sectional study.
 RESULTS: Out of 67 patients, 66 were females and their mean age was 39 years. Symptoms associated with the musculoskeletal system were the most commonly reported (95.5%), followed by fatigue (88.1%) and neurological symptoms (53.7%). None of the patients were very satisfied or satisfied with current clinical management and the overall rate of patient dissatisfaction was 83.6%. Education (p = 0.04), monthly income (p = 0.01), SLE disease activity index score (p = 0.031), therapy with biologic agents (p = 0.029), immunosuppressants (p = 0.01), and corticosteroids (p = 0.01) were predictors of patient dissatisfaction in multiple logistic regression analysis.
 CONCLUSION: This real-world study is the first effort to understand the experience of SLE patients within the health-care system of Kazakhstan and the results may facilitate doctor-patient discussions on the initiatives that need to be taken to improve the quality of the medical services provided.

Epitopes specificity of antibodies to thyroid peroxidase in patients with Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and overlap-syndrome

“…Thirdly, this study had a cross-sectional design and cohort studies are needed to analyze the associations between anti-TPO, MAbs and thyroid function in patients with different TAIDs and at different treatment stages. Nevertheless, the studies targeted at improved diagnosis of different disorders are needed as they are associated with better patient satisfaction, among other benefits [33] , [34] .…”