Examining outcome measures in rheumatoid arthritis.

Recent literature suggests that outcome measures are useful in assessing disease activity. Many measures have been used in previous clinical trials. This study focused on self-assessment measures to evaluate disease activity. A descriptive study was conducted in a community clinical setting using 1 physician and 87 subjects (74% female) from the physician's practice. The Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ) was used to assess pain and functional status. The MHAQ was given on two sequential visits to 87 subjects. A chart review was conducted to determine if the MHAQ collected additional information regarding pain and functional status by evaluating the physician's documentation in the charts of the subjects. Information was obtained from the physician to determine if the MHAQ was useful in clinical practice and if subjects were willing to complete questionnaires on visits to the clinic. Results indicated less documentation of pain and functional status by the physician after implementation of the MHAQ because the MHAQ was in the charts as part of the subjects' permanent record; consequently, documentation would have been redundant. Further analysis of data showed that the physician believed it was useful; thus, more information was collected regarding pain and functional status. Last, the subjects reported that they liked the form and that they would be willing to complete it at future visits.