Challenges of Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry in Iran: Qualitative Content Analysis

Objectives: A registry is a vital tool for understanding genetic fields and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, it is valuable in research related to the long-term effect of drugs on patients. Therefore, this study aimed to explain the challenges of RA registry in Iran. Materials and Methods: Using a purposive sampling method, ten rheumatologists were selected as the samples of the current qualitative research. Further, semi-structured interviews were conducted to the saturation level for collecting the data. Finally, the content analysis was performed to collect and name data, as well as to obtain analytic categories and subcategories. Results: The challenges were classified into physical (software and hardware), financial (financing), human (skilled personnel for RA data entry and the tendency of more specialists for medical treatment), and managerial (the lack of referral system and support of Ministry of Health) variables, along with time parameter (the lake of time for health and education). The lack of proper infrastructure, financial limitations, and management challenges were among the most important barriers. Conclusions: The findings showed that RA registry faces many challenges in Iran. In the case of eliminating the existing obstacles, it would be possible to take advantage of effective and useful outcomes in the basic care of patients with RA.