Several professional medical learned societies and organisations have recommended guidelines for management of various chronic diseases geared to achieve optimal control over the diseases and improve the quality of care. However, the data from around the world suggest that a majority of patients are not achieving those treatment targets. This has been well documented in diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and rheumatoid arthritis, and clinical inertia is thought to be a major factor responsible. In this article, we have discussed clinical inertia in rheumatology practice, which has relevance to several other chronic non-communicable diseases as well.
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