Patients functioning and prevention of disability is a central aspect of the management in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Disability is a condition when patient experienced the difficulty doing activities in all or many domain of life due to health, physical or psychosocial problems. Disability is a complex of factors which are directly connected with disease itself and contextual factors. The most important factors related to disease are: pain, disease activity, impairment of the tissue, functional limitation and deformity. The non-disease factors include a patient’s cultural and educational background, type of work performed, comorbid conditions and psychological and socioeconomic status. The theoretical model of the disablement process in RA was presented and the methods of the assessment each stage in the process with the ultimate goal for the prevention and optimalization our intervention strategies.