The impetus for this multiphased project was the realization that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not only physically debilitating, but also a cause of severe psychological distress, which is often unacknowledged. A small sample of patients (n=15) were interviewed to identify their main areas of psychological distress caused by RA, and data were analysed thematically. These themes formed the basis of a questionnaire that was distributed to a random sample of inpatients and outpatients with RA. This larger sample (n=140) prioritized the areas of distress that were identified by the interviewed sample of patients. This led to the development of an education programme for nurses.The authors describe the impetus for the project, the activities and processes associated with data collection, and the development and evaluation of the education programme.