The relationship between self‐care agency, disability levels and factors regarding these situations among patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Aims and objectives. To assess the relationship between self‐care agency scores, disability levels and factors regarding these situations among Turkish patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Background. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterised by severe to slight synovial joint inflammation that can lead to pain, stiffness and joint destruction with subsequent physical deformities, disabilities and reduced self‐care. Self‐care is an important component of comprehensive chronic disease management such as rheumatoid arthritis. If patients have high levels of self‐care and adhere to rheumatoid arthritis treatment, it can be expected that they will have fewer symptoms and better functional capabilities. Design. A cross‐sectional, design was used. Method. This study was conducted with 467 rheumatoid arthritis patients who applied at the Rheumatology Outpatient Department of Gaziantep University between September 2008–February 2009. The data collection instruments used in this study were the Demographic Data Form, Health Assessment Questionnaire (including disability index and pain scale) and Self‐as‐Carer Inventory. The frequency, mean, Student’s t‐test, one‐way anova, Kruskal–Wallis, chi‐square, correlation and regression analysis were used; p