Primary health

Your primary health team is your first stop for arthritis care. Learn who’s involved and how they support your journey to living well with arthritis.

Your community pharmacist provides access to appropriate medicines including dispensing and information. They can give you information on how much of your medication to take, when and how to take it and how it will help your condition as well as what side effects to watch out for. Pharmacists also advise doctors on medication use and interactions and can carry out clinical drug trials. Your community pharmacist will get to know you and your whānau and can give advice on health issues, and treatments for some minor health issues. They can show you how to use your medical devices correctly such as asthma inhalers, air humidifiers etc.

Services your community pharmacy may offer:

• Medicine packaging such as blister packs (especially if you have a long-term condition or complex requirements)
• Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations
• Smoking cessation
• Medical equipment hire
• Safe disposal of expired medicines
• Blood glucose checks
• Blood pressure checks
• Anticoagulation checks if you are taking warfarin
• Treatment for urinary tract infections

Your GP or doctor is usually your lead healthcare provider and your first point of contact. Your GP diagnoses most conditions but will refer you to a secondary care specialist to confirm a diagnosis in some conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Your GP writes prescriptions and makes referrals to other health specialists and government-funded services like Needs Assessment Service Co-ordination (NASC), mobility parking permits, and green prescriptions. They are the gatekeepers to secondary healthcare.

A nurse practitioner can be your lead healthcare provider and can make a diagnosis, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, and prescribe medicines within their area of competence with the same authority as GPs. The nurse practitioner is the most senior clinical nurse in the health care system.

Pharmacist prescribers work in a team with other healthcare professionals and are not the primary diagnostician. Additional qualifications mean they can write prescriptions (including stopping or continuing therapy originally initiated by another prescriber). They can order tests and investigations and monitor your condition.

A physiotherapist advises on exercises, posture and ways to relieve pain. They may also use treatments such as massage, manipulation and acupuncture, and provide mobility aids. Their aim is to keep your joints and muscles flexible and strong to support body alignment and joint health. Getting the right exercises to support your joints and then doing them consistently at home is a crucial part of your pain management and will increase your quality of life with arthritis. For more information, visit Physiotherapy New Zealand.

A registered nurse who works with GPs. They need specialist training to be able to provide preventative care and treatment services to their communities, for services including vaccinations and cervical screening. The Practice nurse liaises with other health professionals and are a great source of information and advice.