Tips for GP trainees working in rheumatology

Abstract

One in four people registered with a GP will consult for a musculoskeletal problem over a 12-month period; this accounts for one in seven GP consultations.1 Musculoskeletal conditions significantly impact daily life through pain, disability, and psychological ill-health.2,3 A rheumatology rotation is therefore a relevant and practical rotation for GP trainees to undertake. The key learning points from a rheumatology rotation include the early recognition of inflammatory arthritis to enable timely secondary care referral, the identification of the red flags of joint sepsis, and development of an understanding of the social and psychological consequences of chronic musculoskeletal conditions. 1. 1. Before your first day, read current guidelines relating to common rheumatological conditions in both primary and secondary care, for example, the NICE guidelines for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.4,5 2. 2. Practice your examination skills. Although you are likely to be an experienced junior doctor, asking a friendly registrar to demonstrate their slick examination style and asking for tips will save you a lot of time in the future when clerking inpatients and outpatients. 3. 3. Learn the monitoring requirements and side effects of the commonly used disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. …