Jacinta Renaldi, MSN, APRN, is a nurse practitioner for Yale Medicine Rheumatology. She has a special interest in lupus and other connective tissue disorders, and played an extensive role in the development of the Yale Lupus Wellness Program. She also is a key member of the Transition of Care Program for young adults with rheumatic disease.
Renaldi helps patients manage their disease, which often involves listening to their concerns and addressing them one by one. “I ask open-ended questions and try to normalize things for them,” she says. “I might try to take less of a medical approach and more of a pragmatic approach.” For instance, if a patient has a difficult time with some aspect of managing a difficult disease—maybe they are forgetting to take a medication—she might suggest they give a friend or family member permission to remind them.
Both of Renaldi’s parents are from Portugal, and that made her sensitive to the fact that patients come from different places, may speak different languages, have varying levels of support, and may not all have the same resources. Some need more help than others navigating the medical system, she says. “I want to make it equitable and make sure everyone understands what they need to know, because you can’t assume everyone does.”
In addition to caring for patients, Renaldi is involved in clinical research to assess the success of the Lupus Wellness Program, based on such outcomes as whether patients who receive the extra attention the program provides are less likely to go to the emergency room or be hospitalized.
