Moving the ACR's Reproductive Health Guidelines Into Practice: A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of a Novel Reproductive Rheumatology ECHO.

Background: Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) links experts with community providers through video teleconferences that include both didactics and case discussions. We piloted the first ECHO with a specific focus on reproductive rheumatology intended to increase rheumatologists' knowledge and self-efficacy in providing reproductive health care.

Methods: The Project ECHO guides informed ReproRheum ECHO curriculum development, provider recruitment, logistics, and assessment. Assessments included interviews and pre/post surveys to assess knowledge, self-efficacy, and identify program strengths and weaknesses.

Results: Eight rheumatology providers (5 physicians, 2 nurse practitioners, 1 rheumatology fellow) and 4 experts (2 reproductive rheumatologists, 2 maternal-fetal medicine physicians) participated in six 1-hour ReproRheum ECHO sessions from January to March 2023. All but one provider attended all sessions, demonstrating feasibility. Knowledge of the rate of birth defects after exposure to both azathioprine and mycophenolate significantly increased in participating physicians. Provider self-efficacy also increased significantly (6.8 ± 1.2 pre-ECHO to 8.1 ± 0.5 post-ECHO, p = 0.03). All participants "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that they had increased confidence in their ability to answer colleagues' questions and guide patients' choices in contraception and medication in pregnancy. In interviews, providers reported satisfaction with and appreciation of both didactic and case discussions, the multidisciplinary approach, and connecting with other providers. They reported improved comfort and increased frequency of discussing reproductive health in practice.

Conclusions: The pilot ReproRheum ECHO was feasible and improved knowledge and self-efficacy among rheumatologists in reproductive health. This model is a promising approach to improving reproductive health care for women with rheumatic disease.