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Screening for hand osteoarthritis (OA) using a postal survey.
S O'Reilly1, S Johnson, S Doherty
1Rheumatology Unit, City Hospital, Nottingham, UK.
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
|September 18, 1999
Summary
A postal survey effectively screens for hand osteoarthritis (OA) nodes, showing good specificity. While sensitivity is moderate, it aids in identifying potential cases for further research.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent condition affecting quality of life.
- Early detection and screening are crucial for managing hand OA.
- Postal surveys offer a potentially cost-effective method for large-scale screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of using a postal survey for screening hand OA.
- To assess the accuracy of self-reported nodes compared to expert assessment.
Main Methods:
- A random sample of adults aged 40-79 received a postal survey about arm pain and nodes.
- Participants identified nodes based on a provided diagram.
- Subject-reported data was compared to assessments by a blinded nurse metrologist.
Main Results:
- The postal survey demonstrated reasonable intraobserver reproducibility (kappa >= 0.59).
- Sensitivity for detecting any nodes was 71.4%, with high specificity (96.4%).
- Agreement was higher for distal interphalangeal (DIP) nodes (kappa=0.67) than proximal interphalangeal (PIP) nodes (kappa=0.36).
Conclusions:
- Postal surveys are a valuable tool for identifying individuals with hand OA nodes.
- The sensitivity may be insufficient for precise prevalence studies but useful for case identification.
- This method has potential for identifying subjects for further investigation in community settings.