[Development of quality standards for patients with rheumatoid arthritis for use in Germany]

[With RheMIT rheumatology centers can participate in the German national database-Expansion of the long-term rheumatological documentation]

The national database (NDB) of the German regional collaborative rheumatology centers was switched to the RheMIT documentation software last year. Rheumatology centers that already use RheMIT for care contracts or other research projects can therefore use the software to also participate in the NDB. Experiences from a hospital, a medical care center and a specialist practice show how the changeover to RheMIT from an existing documentation system or a new participation in the NDB with RheMIT can be implemented. The NDB team at the German Rheumatism Research Center in Berlin (DRFZ) welcomes new participating rheumatology centers.

[Further development of regional early care-Many roads lead to Rome : Developmental stages of four established rheumatological early care concepts in different regions of Germany]

In order to shorten the prognostically relevant waiting time until diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment in inflammatory rheumatic diseases, rheumatological centers in many regions across Germany have established and continuously developed specific early care concepts. Evaluated models from Altötting·Burghausen, Berlin Buch, Düsseldorf and Heidelberg and their developmental stages as a response to internal and external challenges are presented in this overview. The transparent publication of the developmental steps and the exchange of experiences aim at promoting new early care concepts in other regions and continuing the joint dialogue for improvement of the early detection and quality of care of inflammatory rheumatic diseases in Germany.

[Axial spondyloarthritis : Update on management based on the interdisciplinary S3 guidelines on axial spondyloarthritis including early forms and ankylosing spondylitis]

This review article presents the innovations in the update of the S3 guidelines on axial spondylarthritis. The total of eight new recommendations address the areas of the consideration of differential diagnoses, coordination of comorbidity management, including a vaccination strategy, treatment targets, safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), treatment response to biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD) and discontinuation strategies when remission has been achieved. In this article the authors deal particularly with the areas of early diagnosis and referral as well as exercise therapy and drug treatment.