P011 Time to diagnosis for different types of inflammatory arthritis

Abstract

Abstract Background/Aims Timely diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis (IA) is crucial for optimising patient outcomes. However, it is appreciated that some types of inflammatory arthritis may be more challenging to diagnose as they present very differently. The National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) provides the opportunity for rheumatology services to benchmark the care they provide. This project used NEIAA to investigate if there is a difference in time to diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA). Methods Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust (LSCFT) recruited patients diagnosed with an IA to NEIAA over a five-year period (May 2018 to March 2023). Information on demographics, duration of symptoms prior to referral, GP referral time and rheumatology waiting time were analysed. Results A total of 393 patients with either RA, PsA or AxSpA were included in the analysis. There was a higher proportion of patients from minority ethnic backgrounds in the AxSpA group. The ratio of female to male was >1 in RA and PSA but approximately 1:1 in AxSpA. The mean ages of patients in the RA, PsA and AxSpA groups were 60, 49 and 40 years, respectively. Table 1: Difference in time to diagnosis for the different types of IA, highlights the median time to diagnosis. Median was used due to outliers in data. Patients with AxSpA had the longest average duration of symptoms prior to presenting to the GP, with nearly 80% having symptoms for over a year. GP referral time was significantly shorter in the AxSpA group. Time to first rheumatology appointment was similar across the three groups. Conclusion There is a difference in time to diagnosis for the different types of IA. Further work is needed to understand why patients with AxSpA are presenting so late to their GP before being referred. We recognise the importance of exploring whether patients with AxSpA have been referred to other specialities or healthcare professionals. Investment in clinical triage and education sessions for primary care may help explain these results. More focus is needed on raising public awareness locally. Disclosure S. Jeyaratnam: None. S. Fish: None. S. Horton: None. A. Madan: None. C. Rao: None. E. MacPhie: None.