Table 3 Emergent themes from the focus groups with health professionals
Emergent themes | Sub-themes |
|---|---|
1. Missed opportunities and diagnostic delay | • Lack of recognition of foot problems by health professionals • Lack of patient knowledge relating to foot problems • Socioeconomic disparities in care |
2. Challenges related to the management of foot problems in PsA | • Varied and fluctuating clinical presentations of PsA • Complexity of foot examination • Lack of appropriate training and knowledge across professions for the management of foot health problems associated with rheumatic disease |
3. Lack of specialist podiatry service provision | • Lack of specialised podiatrists working within multidisciplinary rheumatology teams • Lack of allied health professionals with a specialist interest and expertise in inflammatory arthritis • Perceived patient dissatisfaction with limited scope of podiatry practice and high cost of ineffective treatments such as foot orthoses |