Rheumatoid Arthritis clinical trials at UCSF

This clinical trial will test a mindfulness program in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The main goals of this pilot study are to: - Assess patient satisfaction with a mindfulness course - Identify barriers to participation in, or completion of, a mindfulness course - Gather initial information to understand how a mindfulness course impacts RA symptoms Participants will: - Complete online questionnaires - Attend two in-person study visits, involving a brief joint exam and blood draw - Roughly half the participants will have the chance to participate in an 8-week online mindfulness course - Roughly half the participants will be invited to participate in an online focus group following completion of the mindfulness course Researchers will compare those in the mindfulness course with those receiving standard care in preparation for a larger future study to see how mindfulness impacts stress and inflammation in individuals with RA.

Shared decision making is the first overarching principle for the treat to target guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and has been proposed as a potential mechanism to reduce health disparities, however there is little evidence to inform effective ways to implement this practice in the care of Veterans with RA. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-component shared decision making intervention on RA disease activity, adherence to RA medications and patient knowledge of RA. The proposed research will contribute to fundamental knowledge about how to effectively foster shared decision making across varied VA rheumatology clinical settings to improve patient disease outcomes and experience; and support clinicians to engage patients in meaningful ways with the ultimate goal to improve health, reduce disability, and eliminate disparities.

This study will confirm the ability of Tc 99m tilmanocept imaging to predict clinical response in individuals with RA who are beginning anti-TNFα therapy.