Discordance between patients and their physicians in the assessment of lupus disease activity: relevance for clinical trials.

Discordance between patient and physician assessment of lupus activity occurs frequently and its determinants are not known. Examples of discordance between patients and physicians in other disease models can be found in the literature. A better understanding of the discordance between patients and physicians can help us achieve a shared decision-making model of health care, improve patient satisfaction, improve patient compliance, and improve physician understanding of how lupus impacts on their patients. Understanding discordance also impacts on the design and interpretation of clinical trials.