How to make the most of your virtual consultations

Regular appointments with your clinical team are obviously important for monitoring your condition, and ensuring that you are getting the best treatment possible for your axial SpA. However, the past few years of the pandemic have seen a lot of changes to the way in which we all engage with healthcare - including the introduction of virtual appointments. We have put together a list of resources below to help you prepare for, navigate and hopefully make the most of your virtual appointments.

Advice from the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society

Back in July, NASS asked consultant rheumatologists how their practice has changed and what advice they can give to patients for their virtual appointments. The result is an excellent blog post providing some simple tips for how to make the most of your consultation: http://asone.nass.co.uk/making-the-most-of-your-appointments/. They have also created a useful virtual appointment resource sheet, to help you prepare are prioritise points that you wish to discuss: http://asone.nass.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Virtual_Appts_sheet.pdf

Free personalised advice from CreakyJoints & eRheum

For personalised advice on getting the most out of your rheumatology telehealth visits, check out https://www.erheum.org/. From the non-profit arthritis community CreakyJoints, eRheum™ provides a FREE personalized guide for better telehealth visits.

Video advice from Will Gregory & AStretch

The following video (posted on the NASS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NASSCentral) by the excellent Will Gregory is also definitely worth a watch. Thank you Will!

NASS have a brilliant range of videos on their YouTube - from how to cope with fatigue and tips for self-care, to live high-intensity work-out sessions and gentle yoga. We would recommend having a look if you are interested!