OT and Psoriatic Arthritis

Where does OT fit in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) care?

In this one hour course we’ll dive into a comprehensive guideline for psoriatic arthritis treatment, which recommends patients utilize a mix of non-pharmacological tools, like occupational therapy.

This article will help you brush up on psoriatic arthritis, see OT within a holistic approach to care, and appreciate the importance of individualized care (which we are so skilled in providing).

After we review the article, we’ll be joined by Duana Russell-Thomas, OTD, OTR/L, to discuss her innovative approach to arthritis care through a self-management program—and the funding that makes this possible. Her story—and this guideline—will leave you with practical takeaways for improving your care of PsA.

Supplemental Materials

• The Arthritis Foundation

• American College of Rheumatology

• Easy-to-read overview of OT’s role in treating PsA

• Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP)

• Guidelines specifically for skin psoriasis

• Healthline article on PsA

• Self-management Resource Center

• National Psoriasis Foundation

• Treat to target

1. You will be able to recognize assessments OTs can utilize with psoriatic arthritis patients.

2. You will be able to identify the components of a self-management approach to OT treatment for psoriatic arthritis.

• Intro

• Breakdown and analysis of journal article

  • Refresher: what is psoriatic arthritis (PsA)?

  • Manifestations (and an arthritis vocabulary refresher)

  • Is psoriatic arthritis curable?

  • How does this paper contribute to our understanding of treatment for PsA?

  • Which assessments were mentioned?

  • Which medications did they recommend?

  • What did they recommend for non-pharmacological interventions?

  • Discussion

  • Takeaways for OT practitioners

• Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with Duana Russell-Thomas)

  1. How did you first find OT?

  2. How did you become involved in OT and arthritis care?

  3. Can you tell us about your involvement with the MO Regional Arthritis Centers?

  4. What were your initial impressions from this article?

  5. What assessments have you found helpful to utilize with arthritis patients?

  6. What are your main considerations as you approach treatment for arthritis patients?

  7. What can it look like for OTs to support arthritis patients in medication management?

  8. What role can OTs play in other recommendations like smoking cessation and weight loss?

  9. I always feel like not enough OTs are involved in arthritis care. Why is that and what are avenues for us to increase our involvement with this population?

  10. Are there any health tech tools that you see taking hold in the arthritis community?

Primary

• 2018 American College of Rheumatology/National Psoriasis Foundation guideline for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis

Additional

• A lifestyle management for arthritis group education intervention for people with inflammatory and degenerative arthritis: An observational study

• Examining rehabilitation dose in adults with rheumatoid arthritis: Association with Baseline Factors and change in clinical outcomes

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Duana Russell-Thomas has no financial interest in this topic to disclose.