Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2010 Apr;30(6):749-53.
doi: 10.1007/s00296-009-1056-7. Epub 2009 Jul 10.

Adherence to treatment guidelines in two primary care populations with gout

Geoffrey C Wall  1 , Carrie F Koenigsfeld, Karly A Hegge, Michelle M Bottenberg
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Adherence to treatment guidelines in two primary care populations with gout

Geoffrey C Wall et al. Rheumatol Int. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

Published guidelines for the treatment of gout aim to improve the evidenced-based management of this disorder. Unfortunately, several studies suggest that these guidelines are not routinely followed in clinical practice. Limited data exist comparing different groups of primary care providers regarding compliance with published gout guidelines. We conducted a retrospective study comparing two different general internal medicine (IM) practices and evaluated compliance with these guidelines. All patients with a billing code for gout seen in two large IM clinics (Clinic A, an inner-city urban clinic, and Clinic B, a suburban clinic) between January 2004 and December 2007 were selected for chart review. Patients referred to a rheumatologist for management of gout were excluded. The care received by these patients for gout was compared to recommendations from published guidelines, with the primary outcome assessing the percentage of patients who received at least yearly monitoring of serum uric acid (SUA) levels. In both clinics, yearly monitoring of SUA levels occurred in approximately one quarter of the patients with gout (Clinic A 27.5% vs. Clinic B 28.9%, P = 0.87). Compared to SUA, renal function was monitored more frequently in each of the groups. Listed indications for antihyperuricemic therapy were similar between groups, although gouty flares were reported more frequently in clinic B (P = 0.005). In this retrospective review of gout management in two IM clinics, general care for patients with this condition did not differ significantly. However, overall compliance with recommendations from published guidelines was low.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. J Rheumatol. 2009 Apr;36(4):822-30 - PubMed
    1. Clin Rheumatol. 2000;19(1):21-5 - PubMed
    1. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006 Oct;65(10):1312-24 - PubMed
    1. Arch Intern Med. 2007 Mar 26;167(6):586-90 - PubMed
    1. N Engl J Med. 2003 Oct 23;349(17):1647-55 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources