Although the benefits of commencing early treatment in patients recently diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis are well documented6, delays due to the shortage in the number of qualified healthcare providers trained to meet the demands of this growing disease7-11 often leads to poor and irreversible health outcomes in these patients12-14. This disparity has created gaps in the care of these patients including access to arthritis-related services, specialist and rehabilitation services7,8. To compound this, the stress acquired following a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis has been shown to greatly impede patients' cognitive function and decision-making abilities. Unlike the disparity in healthcare providers, these patient-related variables, although likely to play a major role in disease progression, are currently not well understood. In light of this, one cost-effective option to shortening the time between disease onset and treatment is to better understand the hurdles patients face following their diagnosis and develop more efficient mechanisms to deliver the information to this group more effectively. By exploring the informational needs and educational preferences of persons with early inflammatory arthritis, the development of such novel strategies will likely be possible.