J.T. was a former professional baseball player who came to our practice after being diagnosed at age 45 with severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the […]
Education
It Takes a Village | Seropositive Rheumatoid Arthritis
In nursing school, we are taught to use care plans to help manage our patients’ health problems. First, we assess the patient; next, we develop […]
The “What Ifs” That Stay With Us | Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sometimes, we encounter a patient in our practice who touches our life and our soul, and never leaves our heart. One such patient of mine […]
My Most Memorable Patient | Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
As rheumatology nurses, we are lucky to be able to touch so many lives in a memorable way. Consequently, when a patient appears in our […]
Why Vitamin D Levels Matter in Patients with Rheumatic Disease
Over a decade ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD, discuss his cutting edge research on vitamin D. At the […]
When Lab Tests Provide Additional Information | Sjögren’s
Is there a more confounding lab test in rheumatology than the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test? It can lead us straight to a diagnosis or set […]
When Lab Tests Tell the Truth | Rheumatoid Arthritis
Biomarkers have been an important addition to the toolbox of rheumatology healthcare providers, which was illustrated in my interactions with G.H., a recent patient of […]
When Lab Tests Lie | Rheumatoid Arthritis
Twelve years ago, I met R.T., a 35-year-old female patient who had previously been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Her rheumatoid factor was positive at 49. […]
My Most Memorable Patient | Juvenile Inflammatory Arthritis
Several years ago, I was involved in an early trial of adalimumab in pediatric patients with juvenile inflammatory arthritis (JIA). One precocious 12-year-old girl enrolled […]
How I Learned About Biologic Therapies
Learning the science of rheumatology is, for me, an ongoing project. The immune cascade is amazing and yet daunting to comprehend. The exciting part is […]
How I Learned About the Immune System | Immunology
When I first started as a rheumatology nurse, I got my hands on anything I could to help me learn about things that would help […]
How I Learned About the Immune System | Immunology
Picture this: A 43-year-old nurse practitioner (that’s me) on the floor of her 8-year- old daughter’s Disaster Area bedroom, drawing different colored blobs with pointy […]
My Most Memorable Patient
In the winter of 1994, I was working as a young nurse in the respiratory ICU at a hospital in Lansing, MI. Upon my arrival […]
What Quality Improvement Means To Me
In the clinical setting, the topic of quality improvement (QI) is often met with groans. One more thing to keep track of. One more thing […]
What Quality Improvement Means To Me | Rheumatoid Arthritis
In rheumatology, we are challenged with the formidable task of simultaneously improving quality, enhancing equity, and ensuring value in the care we provide for our […]
Are We Creating a Culture to Support Quality Improvement?
In 2000, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published its landmark report, To Er is Human: Building a Safer Health System, upon which the current trend […]