Ying Hu,1,* Wenhui Zhu,1,* Xiaocong Wang,1 Yuefan Yu,1 Kangle Shi,2 Qinggang Meng1 

1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Qinggang Meng; Kangle Shi, Email mqgangzy@126.com; bucmskl@sina.com

Background: This qualitative study, part of a prospective mixed-methods research, aimed to gain insights into the medical experiences and disease perceptions of Chinese patients living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Specifically, the study examined how RA patients’ perceptions of their disease were influenced by the diagnosis and treatment they receive.
Methods: RA patients undergoing treatment were invited to participate in this qualitative study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted among 18 patients, and the collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results: The 18 participants in this study had a mean (SD) age of 58, a median disease duration of 6.5 years, and a predominance of female subjects (17 out of 18). The qualitative analysis identified two themes with six sub-themes: 1. Patients’ experiences of treatment: discovery of the disease, misdiagnosis and mistreatment, and patients’ treatment choices; 2. Feelings about the disease: psychological impact, reflections on the disease, and expectations of treatment.
Conclusion: This study provides valuable perspectives and data to enhance the understanding of the relationship between patients’ illness perceptions and their healthcare choices.

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, qualitative study, illness perception, patient choice