{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T21:22:00Z","timestamp":1791580920953,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,4]],"date-time":"2025-12-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764806400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nursing Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Patients with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs) who are treated with Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) face an increased risk of infections. Therapeutic education is often considered a valuable strategy to support preventive behaviors, but its actual impact remains uncertain. Objectives: This scoping review aims to examine how therapeutic education contributes to infection prevention in patients with RMDs receiving DMARDs, with attention to its potential benefits, limitations, and relevance in clinical practice. Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR framework, we searched PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Web of Science for primary studies published between January 1990 and December 2024 in English or Italian language. Eligible studies involved adult patients with rheumatic diseases treated with DMARDs who had received some form of therapeutic education. Results: Among 1591 records, only 4 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies emphasized the value of promoting preventive behaviors to minimize treatment-related infections. Therapeutic education was associated with increased patient awareness and adherence, especially when supported by multidisciplinary healthcare teams. However, several barriers\u2014such as limited health literacy and socioeconomic challenges\u2014affected access and effectiveness. Discussion and Conclusions: While existing studies support the potential of therapeutic education and patient education in general, the small number of relevant studies and the variation in approaches limit strong conclusions on the impact of patient education on reducing or preventing risk infection in the field of rheumatology in DMARD-treated patients. Moreover, several papers pointed out how digital tools and telemedicine are promising ways to expand access and improve adherence, particularly for underserved populations. Thus, further research should explore standardized, inclusive and interdisciplinary strategies\u2014potentially incorporating digital tools\u2014to improve prevention and ensure equitable access to educational interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nursrep15120431","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,4]],"date-time":"2025-12-04T16:07:38Z","timestamp":1764864458000},"page":"431","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Therapeutic Education for Safer Rheumatologic Care: A Scoping Review to Map Evidence on Infection Prevention"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3278-8296","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Khadija","family":"El Aoufy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-5599-2405","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Camilla Elena","family":"Magi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4720-345X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Ramona","family":"Melis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristiana","family":"Caffarri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Civile","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elena","family":"Daffini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eleonora","family":"Loss","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Helena","family":"Ortis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonella","family":"Rinaldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia","family":"Zonca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0360-4470","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefano","family":"Bambi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4460-8002","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Rasero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"829","DOI":"10.1136\/annrheumdis-2017-212565","article-title":"Common language description of the term rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) for use in communication with the lay public, healthcare providers and other stakeholders endorsed by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)","volume":"77","author":"Daikh","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ann. 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