Introduction:

patients' needs and perspectives are determinants for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Objectives:

to evaluate the impact of inadequate response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on treatment satisfaction, outcomes and perspectives of adult patients with inadequate control of moderate/high activity RA.

Materials and methods:

satisfaction was assessed using the TSQM v1.4 questionnaire. Data on quality of life, adherence and management strategies were collected. Results are presented for Argentina, Chile and Uruguay (n=202).

Results:

the mean of the TSQM global satisfaction score was 62.3±21.8. Eighty-three percent reported good adherence. The main expectations of treatment were "lasting relief of symptoms" and "less joint pain". The 53.47% of patients preferred an oral treatment; 75.74% chose a rapid onset of action. The least accepted side effect was "increased risk of malignant neoplasms". Fifty-five percent planned to rotate DMARD. Of these, advanced therapies were considered in only 84.7%. Most were open to a combination treatment, but 25.2% preferred not to use it.

Conclusions:

the results reaffirm the commitment to treat-to-target strategies, considering the individualization of therapeutic decisions in the regional context.

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