Reporting consistency in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: how reliable are patient histories?

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Clinical Research
• Patient Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) management involves frequent patient-physician interactions.
• Patient history is crucial for clinical decision-making in SLE.
• Limited data exists on the consistency of patient-reported histories in SLE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the reporting consistency of specific aspects of patient history in SLE.
• To compare prospective patient-reported history with retrospective chart review data.

Main Methods:

• Administered a nine-item questionnaire to SLE patients twice, 4 months apart.
• Conducted a retrospective chart review to correlate with patient-reported data.
• Analyzed consistency across general medical, SLE-specific, social, and family histories.

Main Results:

• SLE patients demonstrated good reporting consistency for general medical, SLE-specific, and social histories.
• Chart review data generally aligned with prospective patient questioning.
• A notable lack of consistency was observed in family history reporting.

Conclusions:

• SLE patients are generally reliable reporters of their medical and social histories.
• Family history information reported by SLE patients may lack consistency over time.
• Findings highlight potential limitations in relying solely on patient self-reporting for family history in SLE research and databases.