Revised treatment guidelines for axial SpA published by British Society for Rheumatology
The British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) have today (9 April) launched a revised version of their Axial Spondyloarthritis Guideline.
The BSR is the UK’s main membership society supporting all types of healthcare professionals who provide care to people with axial SpA. BSR develops clinical guidelines that recommend how healthcare professionals can best treat people with specific conditions. These guidelines are based on all the available evidence that has been published, as well as the expert opinions of a group of people who are experienced in treating the relevant condition.
The previous version of the BSR axial SpA guideline was published in 2017 but, since then, more treatments have become available and more evidence has been published related to treatment options for axial SpA. The guideline has therefore been updated to incorporate all the latest evidence that is available. The guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary guideline working group (GWG), comprising and reflecting the views of individuals with lived experience of axial SpA, rheumatologists, an ophthalmologist, a dermatologist, a gastroenterologist, a general practitioner, an epidemiologist, a specialist nurse, a consultant physiotherapist, a specialist pharmacist, and Dale Webb, CEO at NASS.
Dale Webb said:
“We were delighted to play a part in developing this guideline, ensuring that the patient voice was integrated into the recommendations. The guidelines are underpinned by a set of principles that show a unity of purpose among the healthcare professionals, NASS and patients involved in the process. Our primary goal is to help people lead healthy and productive lives, and the guideline emphasises the importance of shared decision-making between the patient and healthcare professionals.”
The key questions that the guideline sought to answer were previously published in the guideline scope and these include the effectiveness and safety of targeted therapies; switching, combining, tapering or withdrawing targeted therapies; and treating to target. The guideline applies only to adults with axial SpA.
The guideline was developed around three overarching principles. The drafting of these principles was led by the GWG authors with lived experience of axial SpA:
- The primary goal of treatment for people living with axial SpA is to enable them to lead healthy and productive lives by optimising health-related quality of life through comprehensive management of all disease manifestations, prevention of structural damage, preservation of physical function, work productivity, and social participation.
- Management decisions should be developed in partnership with the individual living with axial SpA based on their needs and priorities, within the available resources.
- Management should involve a multidisciplinary team coordinated by a rheumatologist, utilising a holistic approach that incorporates both medication and therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and emotional wellbeing support.
This guideline is for health professionals in the UK who directly care for adults with axial SpA, including but not limited to rheumatologists, rheumatology specialist nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, rheumatology specialty trainees and pharmacists. The guideline provides recommendations, but decisions about care should always be made on an individual basis, overseen by the responsible consultant rheumatologist, and made in partnership with the person with axial SpA, taking into account individual needs and priorities.
In the next few weeks, NASS will also be launching our new Guide to Advanced Therapies which has been written by the Chair of the GWG Dr Steven Zhao alongside NASS’s Head of Information and Support Services Sally Dickinson. The guide is based on the new guideline from BSR to ensure we are completely aligned.
Want to find out more about the guideline? The BSR have a number of resources available which are mainly aimed at health care professionals but available for anyone to access:
Full guideline
Executive summary
Podcast
YouTube video