The RAPID project will run in parallel with the on-going DELAY study which is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is looking at the beliefs and behaviours of patients with inflammatory arthritis in the context of help seeking. Data from both projects will inform the public health campaign to increase public awareness of RA and to motivate people to seek help ASAP after they develop RA symptoms.
The DELAY project (www.earlyarthritis.co.uk), assesses reasons for delay in GP consultation reported by patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The project has three phases. In the first, a questionnaire assessing reasons for delay was developed and validated. The second assessed the reliability of the questionnaire over time, by administering it to people with RA at two time points. The third will survey a large cross-sectional sample of people with inflammatory arthritis to assess the reasons for delay in GP consultation in relation to socioeconomic and demographic variables.
The findings from both the DELAY and RAPID projects will inform the public health campaign to increase public awareness of RA and to motivate people to seek help ASAP after they develop RA symptoms.