Lupus Initiative closing education gap for Southwest Georgia providers

Healthcare providers in Albany, Georgia, have developed “The Lupus Initiative," through a partnership between the Southwest Georgia Area Health the Center and the American College of Rheumatology, to educate area primary care providers on lupus and assisting them in making more effective diagnoses, reports the Albany Herald.

“It is a program to bring awareness to [lupus] and how we can treat it,” said Daniel Roberson, a physician assistant and a participant in the initiative. “It can take a long time in Southwest Georgia to see a rheumatologist. We may see [participants] while they are waiting to see a rheumatologist or in between appointments.”

Karen Law, MD, assistant professor and rheumatologist with Emory Healthcare, has been involved with the initiative since 2011 and describes the program as one that is focused on educating both the public and primary healthcare providers, focusing both in rural areas where rheumatologists are hard to find and in areas with higher minority populations.

The initiative decided to focus on the Southwest Georgia area for the reason that it is a rural area, and with delayed diagnoses associated with limited access to specialized care and understanding of the disease, many of its residents are prone to kidney complications due to lupus.

“Without a significant outlay of funding, it is hard to reach South Georgia,” Law said.

The curriculum of the initiative includes a home session, a narrative Power Point presentation, and followed by a series of discussions by rheumatologists on what providers want more information on, such as the blood testing conducted for lupus.

By providing the resources to better recognize lupus and knowing when a case needs referral or can be managed locally, the initiatives gives providers the tools to reduce the time and cost pursuing the diagnosis.

“The earlier we are able to diagnose and get (people into) treatment, the better the outcomes are,” Law said.