Time to SMILE

SMILE-RA (Self-Management Individualised Learning Environment) is an engaging and interactive e-learning experience, and it’s FREE!

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What is SMILE-RA?

With NHS England announcing 25% of existing patients should be moved to Patient Initiated Follow-Up pathways (PIFU), we understand healthcare teams continue to be stretched due to an ever-increasing workload. We can help save you time in clinic, ensuring your patients are prepared, introducing SMILE-RA, a free modular self-management programme.

88% of users find it easy to use, and 72% state that SMILE-RA has increased their understanding of the importance of self-management. The programme has helped 1,800+ people to date, is free to join and is a great resource for those living with or caring for someone with RA.

SMILE-RA has different modules on a particular theme or subject and takes between 20 – 30 mins to complete. There is an intuitive interface making it easy to use and navigate. After registering and completing the Foundation module, which includes baseline evaluation questions, you can direct your learning experience and choose whichever modules interest you to explore next.

Are you ready to start SMILE-ing?

Katy Pieres, a dedicated volunteer at NRAS (National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society), shares her inspiring experience with our e-learning program- SMILE-RA.

Current modules available

  • Welcome to SMILE
  • Newly diagnosed
  • Meet the team
  • Medicines
  • Managing pain and flares
  • How to have the best consultation
  • Importance of Physical Activity and Exercise

Getting started with SMILE-RA

To register simply click on the button below. Once registered, we recommend you start with the Foundation Module, which will include a short questionnaire to evaluate how much of an impact RA is having on you – this will be repeated further down the line to see how effective the programme is working for you.

With more modules on the way, our aim is to have the most comprehensive e-learning programme for those living with RA.

Adjusting to life with RA, learning to get the best treatment and navigating the healthcare system can be extremely daunting! It is therefore wonderful that NRAS have created this SMILE-RA resource which will be a boon to patients, their friends, family, and health professionals.

Peter C. Taylor, Professor of Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford.

We believe that SMILE-RA is a very valuable resource because supported self-management is critically important to everyone with RA (or any other long-term condition), if they want to live their best life with RA, have the best long-term outcomes and also feel in control of their disease rather than it controlling their lives. It’s also important for health professionals as it is an evidence-based resource that they can be confident in signposting their patients to. Health professionals can signpost patients to the SMILE-RA programme by giving them a leaflet or putting the SMILE-RA link on appointment/follow up letters.

The safety of your data is and always has been our priority, and all NRAS data collection is fully GDPR compliant and will only ever be used in an anonymised and aggregated form to report back to our funders, the users themselves and the rheumatology community. Our CEO, Clare Jacklin, explains this in a short video when you register to do SMILE-RA. Each module has learning objectives at the start and a few questions at the end to gauge how well these are being met for participants and this will help us to ensure that users are getting the best learning experience. The modules are interactive, contain short quizzes and lots of video and voice-over contributions from rheumatology health professionals, NRAS staff and people with RA. We’ve put a lot of effort into ensuring that the programme is attractive and engaging to work with and the content has been written with input at every stage from our e-Learning Advisory Board and the professionals and individuals with RA who have contributed to each module.

Are you ready to SMILE?

Please bear in mind, while this content has been optimised for mobile platforms – for the best results view it on a desktop/laptop. If you have any problems in this respect please contact enquiries@nras.org.uk.

To future-proof the modules available at launch, we signpost within some of the modules to modules not yet constructed. Please be aware of this but also be reassured that modules referred to yet currently unavailable, will be coming in the future, eg: Managing Fatigue, Work, Sleep disturbance etc. and information on these topics can be obtained in other ways/formats from NRAS through our many publications and extensive information on the website.