Barriers and facilitators to application of treat-to-target management in psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis in practice: A systematic literature review

Objective

To review the evidence on barriers and facilitators to application of treat-to-target (T2T) in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in daily practice.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE/Embase up to December 2023, focusing on axSpA/PsA. Any type of quantitative/qualitative original research was eligible for inclusion if barriers or facilitators to application of T2T were explored. In a qualitative synthesis, barriers/facilitators were classified by the level to which they apply (healthcare provider [HCP], patient, organisation).

Results

Of 28 included studies, most focused on PsA (n = 21/28). Studies included patients (n = 23/28), HCP (n = 4/28) or both (n = 1/28). In total, over 25 barriers and 15 facilitators to application of T2T were identified. At the HCP level, most studies focused on the measurement of the target, especially in PsA, highlighting that agreement among instruments was suboptimal. At the patient level, the role of patient-reported outcomes (PROs), while deemed relevant, was shown to act as a barrier to achieve targets that included PRO components. At the organisational level, the increased time and resources needed for T2T were considered a barrier, although it was noted that T2T could also reduce healthcare use and sick leave. Notably, for several components, no facilitators were identified at all.

Conclusion

Various barriers and facilitators were identified, acting on several levels. Data in axSpA were scarce, as was evidence on certain components of T2T. Future research should address these knowledge gaps and explore how these barriers and facilitators could be targeted to improve application of T2T in practice.