OBJECTIVES: To suppress rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients' disease activity, it should be periodically measured and patients should be treated on the basis of the disease activity outcomes. Insight into the actual care, by using quality indicators, is the first step in achieving optimal care. The objective of this study was to develop a set of quality indicators to evaluate RA disease course monitoring of rheumatologists in daily clinical practice. METHODS: A RAND-modified Delphi method in a five-step procedure was applied: a literature search for quality indicators and recommendations about disease course monitoring; a first questionnaire round; a consensus meeting; a second questionnaire round and drawing up the final set. RESULTS: The systematic procedure resulted in the development of 18 quality indicators: 10 process, five structure and three outcome indicators that describe seven domains of disease course monitoring: schedule follow-up visits; measure disease activity; functional impairment; structural damage; change medication; preconditions for measuring disease activity and outcome measures in terms of disease activity. CONCLUSIONS: This quality indicator set can be used to assess the quality of disease course monitoring of rheumatologists in daily clinical practice, and to determine for which aspects of disease course monitoring rheumatologists perform well, or where there is room for improvement. This information can be used to improve the quality of disease course monitoring.
OBJECTIVES: To suppress rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients' disease activity, it should be periodically measured and patients should be treated on the basis of the disease activity outcomes. Insight into the actual care, by using quality indicators, is the first step in achieving optimal care. The objective of this study was to develop a set of quality indicators to evaluate RA disease course monitoring of rheumatologists in daily clinical practice. METHODS: A RAND-modified Delphi method in a five-step procedure was applied: a literature search for quality indicators and recommendations about disease course monitoring; a first questionnaire round; a consensus meeting; a second questionnaire round and drawing up the final set. RESULTS: The systematic procedure resulted in the development of 18 quality indicators: 10 process, five structure and three outcome indicators that describe seven domains of disease course monitoring: schedule follow-up visits; measure disease activity; functional impairment; structural damage; change medication; preconditions for measuring disease activity and outcome measures in terms of disease activity. CONCLUSIONS: This quality indicator set can be used to assess the quality of disease course monitoring of rheumatologists in daily clinical practice, and to determine for which aspects of disease course monitoring rheumatologists perform well, or where there is room for improvement. This information can be used to improve the quality of disease course monitoring.
Authors: Sonali P Desai; Alexander Turchin; Lara E Szent-Gyorgyi; Michael Weinblatt; Jonathan Coblyn; Daniel H Solomon; Allen Kachalia Journal: Rheumatology (Oxford) Date: 2010-10-24 Impact factor: 7.580
Authors: M Mosca; C Tani; M Aringer; S Bombardieri; D Boumpas; R Cervera; A Doria; D Jayne; M A Khamashta; A Kuhn; C Gordon; M Petri; M Schneider; Y Shoenfeld; J S Smolen; R Talarico; A Tincani; M M Ward; V P Werth; L Carmona Journal: Autoimmun Rev Date: 2011-01-09 Impact factor: 9.754
Authors: Bart G Pijls; Olaf M Dekkers; Saskia Middeldorp; Edward R Valstar; Huub J L van der Heide; Henrica M J Van der Linden-Van der Zwaag; Rob G H H Nelissen Journal: BMC Musculoskelet Disord Date: 2011-07-22 Impact factor: 2.362
Authors: Pedro Santos-Moreno; Claudio Galarza-Maldonado; Carlo V Caballero-Uribe; Mario H Cardiel; Loreto Massardo; Enrique R Soriano; José Aguilar Olano; José F Díaz Coto; Gabriel R Durán Pozo; Inês Guimarães da Silveira; Vianna J Khoury de Castrejón; Leticia Lino Pérez; Carlos A Méndez Justo; Rubén A Montufar Guardado; Rafael Muños; Sergio Murillo Elvir; Ernesto R Paredes Domínguez; Bernardo Pons-Estel; Carlos R Ríos Acosta; Sayonara Sandino; Carlos E Toro Gutiérrez; Sol María Villegas de Morales; Carlos Pineda Journal: J Clin Rheumatol Date: 2015-06 Impact factor: 3.517