Abstract

Aim: To describe the degree of activity of RA patients receiving biological agents co-monitored by rheumatologist and nurses. To assess RA activity using validated methods: DAS28, RADAI, visual analog scales (VAS), and to evaluate the correlation between them and the applicability in routine clinical practice. Methods: 114 patients with RA treated with biological agents, according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 criteria in shared nursing consultations from 12 Catalan hospitals were included. We analyzed whether there was good correlation between RADAI index and DAS28. Results: The mean value in the VAS scale was 2.85 (SD = 2.15), the mean RADAI self-assessment questionnaire level was 2.74 and the mean DAS28 index was 2.89. The majority of patients (63.1%) had a low disease activity (DAS28 < 3.2). 49/114 patients (44.1%) had a DAS < 2.6 (remission). Most patients treated with biologic agents have a good control of the disease, as measured by DAS28 objectively and subjectively by RADAI. Conclusions: The involvement of a multidisciplinary team (rheumatologist/ nursing) can coordinate patient care and establish consensus on the management of RA patients. Even though there are different tools of establishing the status of our patients, metrological evaluation with DAS28 is to date the most reliable, flexible and reproducible outcome measure.

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