EROMIA in inflammatory arthritis: the next step in standard practice

Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) have been increasingly recognized as important tools in rheumatoid arthritis. PROMs add up to a composite score that directly reflects changes in outcomes of immediate importance to patients on a daily basis, such as pain, sleep, fatigue, functional impairment and quality of life. Prospective collection of the patients' information in databases has been attempted, mainly in research studies. This work was carried out to assess the possibility of systematically collecting and aggregating a focused set of clinical data in the standard clinical practice, directly and comfortably from the point of care and on an ongoing basis, using EROMIA software. Recording the patients' data electronically has significantly (P<0.01) saved time in comparison with written paper format. It also significantly (P<0.001) saved time in retrieving patients' recorded data. In addition to the traditional disease outcome measures, disease comorbidities such as falls and cardiovascular risks could be recorded. Recording tender and swollen joints individually was made possible. EROMIA offered a hospital-based integrated monitoring database that echoes daily clinical practice. It does not require advanced computer knowledge.