• Tzu-Hao Li, Hsien-Tzung Liao, Yi-Fan Huang, Yu-Chuan Shen, Yao-Chang Chiu, Wei-Sheng Chen, Ming-Han Chen, Chang-Youh Tsai, and Deh-Ming Chang.
• Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Chiayi Branch, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taiwan.
• J Formos Med Assoc. 2018 May 1; 117 (5): 404-412.

Background/PurposeTo analyze the real-world clinical practice for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and to assess physicians' prescription, difficulties in diagnosis, therapeutic strategy, rationales for biologic therapies and unmet needs in Taiwan.MethodsWe conducted a nationwide cross-sectional observational study by face-to-face in depth interviews with 50 rheumatologists and 30 dermatologists who took care of patients with PsA.ResultsThe major procedures for recognizing PsA included joint, skin and nail examinations, radiographic imaging, and medical history. More dermatologists established the diagnosis when psoriatic patients with arthritis didn't present with rheumatoid factors (p < 0.05). For milder arthritis, physicians tended to prescribe etanercept in combination with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The efficacy, safety, retention rate, and non-parenteral administration are the major concerns of physicians which are also the primary unmet needs in the current management of PsA.ConclusionThis survey showed the status quo in Taiwan of the clinical management for PsA including diagnostic difficulties, therapeutic consideration, rationales for biologic DMARDs selection and unmet needs in treatment. It has indicated that interdisciplinary collaboration may further improve the quality for PsA care. These results may help establish new strategy to develop next generation biologics.Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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