background An important goal in medicine is to provide patients with individualised and personalised treatment. Personalised medicine is making an important contribution.
aim To summarise developments in the field of personalised medicine in rheumatology.
method We review the results so far and discuss what developments we can expect in the future.
results In rheumatology there have been advances in three main areas: 1. therapeutic drug monitoring (measuring medication levels and using the results as a guide for further treatment); 2. the use of biomarkers to determine which drugs should be selected or which should be stopped; 3. involvement of the patient’s own observations concerning treatment options.
conclusion Personalised medicine is being used increasingly in rheumatology.