Functional and health status assessment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Assessing functional and health status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can provide information on the individual's functioning in routine occupations and on the individual's well-being. Data can be obtained by a variety of functional tests and questionnaires. At the Department of Rheumatology at the Vienna University, a specific assessment for outpatients with RA is performed every 3 months. It consists of functional tests, questionnaires, Visual Analog Scales, joint counts, and parameters of disease activity. These data are used to supplement the rheumatologist's decision about medical management of the disease and about further therapeutic strategies.