For Participants

For Participants

Inflammatory arthritis includes several diseases that often affect the joints. More common examples of inflammatory arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, spondyloarthritis, crystal arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. These diseases are chronic and often progressive. We still do not understand the causes of inflammatory arthritis and we still do not have a cure. Existing treatments can be quite effective, but we don’t always know which treatments will work best for which individuals.

The Precision Health Registry for Inflammatory Arthritis will collect health information of patients with suspected or confirmed inflammatory arthritis over time into one central database, (known as a registry). Information from patients and their rheumatology health care providers will be collected online using a tool called Rheum4U. This information will be linked to other sources of information including medications, laboratory results, other health conditions or hospitalizations. 

The health information collected will help us:

Understand

more about how inflammatory arthritis develops and progresses.

Discover

how to treat inflammatory arthritis more effectively.

Improve

care for you and other inflammatory arthritis patients.

Utilize

healthcare resources more efficiently.


What is involved?

Provide basic information

You will be asked to complete your routine medical forms online at home or in the clinic, using the Rheum4U Platform on a computer, iPad or tablet device. 

Complete questionnaires

You will be asked to complete additional questionnaires to help monitor how your arthritis is affecting your quality of life and your work. 

Provide your feedback

After your clinic visit, you will have the opportunity to complete an optional satisfaction survey about your experience in the clinic.

Note: Data you provide is used to help support your care in the clinic and contribute to research and discovery.  All your data is kept safe within a secure data environment following research protocols approved by the University of Calgary Research Ethics Board. 



How to get involved

How to get involved

If you are a patient with confirmed or suspected inflammatory arthritis seen at the Richmond Road Diagnostic and Treatment Center (RRDTC) or South Health Campus Hospital Rheumatology clinics in Calgary, you are eligible to participate. 

To signup or ask additional questions, please contact the Research Coordinator at rheum4U@ucalgary.ca or 403-210-7113. 

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about Rheum4U that isn't listed? Contact us.

You can login to Rheum4U at https://www.epicore.ualberta.ca/rheum4u/, or by using the login link below.

When you signup to take part in Rheum4U, a research coordinator will provide you with a login username and password to access the platform. If you did not receive a username and password yet, contact us at rheum4U@ucalgary.ca or 403-210-7113.

If you forgot your username or password, contact us at rheum4U@ucalgary.ca or 403-210-7113.

Video guides on using the Rheum4U platform will be added here soon - stay tuned!

All data you provide to Rheum4U is handled following research protocol approved by the University of Calgary Research Ethics Board. The data is stored in a secure data environment approved for use for health care and research data.

Clinic nurses and participating rheumatologists at Richmond Road Diagnostic and Treatment Center (RRDTC) and South Health Campus Hospital have access to Rheum4U. They may use the data you provide in Rheum4U to help support your care. Rheum4U staff involved in participant recruitment, data entry and data analysis have access to Rheum4U. Your data is only used to support research and quality improvement activities that have received appropriate approval from a research ethics board, as well as the Rheum4U Research Operations Committee.