Living with rheumatoid arthritis. Strategies that support independence and autonomy in everyday life

Abstract

This qualitative paper describes, people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the everyday strategies they develop to assist them to participate in valued activities and to manage their condition. Forty-six adults with RA participated in face-to-face interviews on the impact of rheumatoid arthritis and the ways that they manage their condition. A coding scheme was developed. Coded segments of text were entered into Ethnograph, a computer program that facilitates the management of text-based data. Data analysis involved a modified grounded theory approach—the constant comparison of interview data to develop major themes. From the interview data, we conceptualized three main strategies people use in their daily lives. These strategies were: 1) Organization: people order their home and other environments to carry on with daily activities; 2) Vigilance: people monitor and use plans to prevent and/or decrease the chances of physical mishaps (i.e., falling); and 3) trading off: strategies that placed peoples' valued activities as priority and therefore, at the expense of managing their arthritis and their health. Strategies participants used in order to be able to participate in valued activities were varied and multiple. Proponents of self-management must recognize that clients may engage in strategies that run counter to professional advice.

Notes

Karen Yoshida, Ph.D, MSc, BSc, PT, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Ave. Rm. 838, Toronto ON Canada, M5G 1V7. E-mail: [email protected]

Marlene Stephens, MSc.At the time of the study, K. Yoshida was funded as an Ontario Ministry of Health Career Scientist in Rehabilitation and Disability, and M. Stephens was a Research Associate for the Arthritis Care Research and Evaluation Unit in Toronto Ontario.