Experts develop an app to guide referrals for joint and rheumatic conditions
A consensus project identified gaps in referral systems and developed criteria for primary care, without reporting a test of their effect on patient care.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The study produced referral criteria and educational material for a digital app connecting primary care with rheumatology. A survey found that many primary care doctors lacked standard referral systems. This work describes a proposed approach to organizing referrals; the abstract does not show that it shortened waits, improved diagnoses or changed patient outcomes.
The reviewed articles were rated moderate quality. The abstract does not report the survey sample size or any evaluation of the completed app’s effect on referral efficiency.
What researchers found
Surveyed primary care doctors lacking standard rheumatology referral systems or criteria
Survey proportion; comparator and survey timeframe not reported.
How the criteria were developed
The expert panel combined published evidence with a survey about referral practice and digital tools. Its output was an agreed set of criteria and educational resources for the DerivaREUMA app, intended for primary care use.
What the app covers
The criteria address presentations ranging from arthritis and back pain to osteoporosis and treatment complications. They include further questions and subcriteria, so the abstract’s short list does not reproduce the full referral process.
The original publication
Referral criteria from primary care to rheumatology: A qualitative study.
Urruticoechea-Arana A, Abad-Hernandez MA, Almodóvar R et al.
Reumatol Clin (Engl Ed) · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41238306
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.