Introduction:

Drugs for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), especially the biological and recently approved, are in a process of reducing the invasiveness of its route of administration. Therapeutic research advances every day in the development of new formulas that are based on greater effectiveness and safety, however, efforts are also being made in less invasive administration routes and less demanding of health services (self-administered). Therefore, it is necessary to know the opinion of the specialists.

Objective:

To determine the preferences on the route of administration of medications for the treatment of RA by rheumatologists.

Methodology:

A cross-sectional study was carried out in rheumatologists from Ecuador in 2017. The information was collected through a survey designed for this research.

Results:

The subcutaneous route was preferred by 61.5% of doctors, mainly self-administered. Seventy three percent of doctors believe that the patient is prepared for self-administration, however, they perceive that the educational level can be an important factor against it. Most professionals base their preference on patient comfort and safety.

Conclusions:

The perception of physicians in general is based on the decrease of invasiveness and the increase of safety. The perception of professionals on self-administered routes is focused on the preparation of patients as a barrier while the oral route is a important and expected objective of the professionals.

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