DPHHS asking Montanans to participate in arthritis survey

Press release

Department of Public Health and Human Services officials is conducting a survey to learn more about how arthritis impacts the lives of Montanans.

DPHHS Arthritis Program Manager Melissa Dale said the program is partnering with the Arthritis Foundation to learn more about challenges and limitations that Montanans face who are living with arthritis.

The Arthritis Foundation INSIGHT Assessment is the largest national effort to learn how arthritis affects individuals of all ages, gender, race, and residency. Montana has been selected to understand how arthritis affects adults who live in rural communities due to the fact that arthritis disproportionately impacts adults living in rural areas.

“We are hoping the information we learn from the assessment will provide us with a better picture of the current health and health care utilization that Montana adults living with arthritis currently experience,” Dale said. “The goal is to use this information to enhance access to evidence-based arthritis programs in areas where it is most needed and improve education for health care providers concerning arthritis.”

A link to the Arthritis Foundation INSIGHT Assessment is https://qrco.de/stateofmontana . The assessment takes about 10 minutes to complete.

This assessment is a unique, patient-reported outcome survey that covers three domains— physical health, mental health, and experience with and access to health care.

Dale said information learned through the survey will help inform service delivery in the state.

“To truly help individuals that have arthritis that live in rural communities we need to learn from them how their arthritis affects them and what resources they need to help manage this condition,” she said.

For more information about the Montana Arthritis Program or the Arthritis Foundation INSIGHT Assessment, people can visit http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/publichealth/arthritis or contact Dale at 406-444-0959 or [email protected].