Improving patient care: measurement of outcome in rheumatoid arthritis

Although most people who are seen in rheumatology clinics are suffering from fatigue, pain, functional disability and/or psychological distress, fewer than 15% of healthcare professionals collect any formal quantitative information concerning these problems. In contrast with acute disease in hospital settings where quantitative data concerning functional status or pain are unnecessary, as success or failure of the treatment is obvious within a short period, chronic diseases form a different challenge. Patient-reported outcomes are an attractive option in a busy medical practice, as the time burden is transferred from the clinician to the patient. Furthermore, such information is critical in the documentation of patient outcomes and results of care. This work was carried out to analyse a developed version of a multi-dimensional health assessment questionnaire. This questionnaire has been edited in a 'patient-friendly' format and its applicability is for standard use in a nurse-led clinical practice to monitor patients suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions in a busy rheumatology unit of a district general hospital.