Project 461090

Inflammatory arthritis affects many people in Canada and usually requires lifelong treatment. Patients with inflammatory arthritis have different health outcomes, and many of these differences are because of factors out of their control, such as their race, gender identity, or age, to name a few. Most research done in this field shows more data for patients who are white than other races, but we also are missing information on differences in health outcomes that are because of age, gender identity, location, education, or other factors. It is important to look at this topic because we need to understand how healthcare services may be disadvantaging or harming certain people. We need to work with patients to figure out how to recruit people into more studies trying to address this topic, and the first step is to set up a patient advisory committee. At the same time, we need to look at the research already done and work with this committee to discover how we can recruit patients with consideration for diversity factors (equity). We plan to hold a large meeting with patients, and content experts, to create strategies on how to recruit patients with inflammatory arthritis for future research in a way that lets us consider age, gender, or other equity factors. This research is important to patients with inflammatory arthritis, and healthcare providers. By identifying how to recruit patients based on these different factors, we can hopefully begin improving access to care for all patients with inflammatory arthritis.