Knowledge of and stated adherence to the 2020 ACR Guideline for Gout Management: Results of a survey of US rheumatologists.

OBJECTIVE: This report evaluates rheumatologists' stated adherence to and agreement with the 2020 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Guideline for the Management of Gout.

METHODS: A 57-item questionnaire was administered to US rheumatologists. Stated adherence scores were based on several guideline recommendations reported to be followed by rheumatologists in practice, whereas stated agreement scores were based on whether respondents always followed the recommendations.

RESULTS: All 201 rheumatologists completed the questionnaire. The mean overall stated adherence score was 11.5 (maximum: 15), whereas the mean overall stated agreement score was 7.7 (maximum: 14). Less experienced rheumatologists (≤8 years; n=49) were likely to claim adherence to more individual ACR recommendations than those with more experience (>8 years; n=152; mean stated adherence score: 12.3 vs 11.3; P ≤ 0.05). Rheumatologists who claimed to see ≤75 patients with gout in 6 months (n=66) had a mean stated adherence score of 12.1 versus 11.2 for those who claimed to have seen >75 patients (P ≤ 0.05). Approximately 78% of rheumatologists claimed to follow the guideline for initiating urate-lowering therapy (ULT), and 89% were likely to prescribe allopurinol as a first-line ULT. Claimed adherence to recommendations for dosing was lower (febuxostat, 43%; allopurinol, 39%). Rheumatologists from academic settings were more likely to prescribe an interleukin-1 inhibitor for gout flares.

CONCLUSION: The self-reported practice of the surveyed US rheumatologists was generally concordant with the 2020 ACR Guideline for the Management of Gout. However, there were gaps in guideline knowledge and stated adherence among rheumatologists, mainly concerning the dosing of treatment regimens.