OBJECTIVE To follow hand function and activity of daily living (ADL) capacity prospectively during a 5-year period in a cohort of outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Forty-three patients (28 women, 15 men), mean age 53.7 years and mean disease duration 7.5 years, were included. The Grip Ability Test (GAT), grip strength, the Keitel Function Test (KFT), the Health Assessment Qu...

This quantitative exploratory descriptive survey attempted to identify the needs of persons suffering from schizophrenia who live in the Mogoto Village, Zebediela District, Limpopo Province. Data obtained from 60 completed questionnaires indicated that these persons continued to be regarded as valued community members by their care-givers. Despite the apparent lack of community mental health se...

OBJECTIVE To develop a simulation model for analysis of the cost-effectiveness of treatments that affect the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The Markov model was developed on the basis of a Swedish cohort of 116 patients with early RA who were followed up for 5 years. The majority of patients had American College of Rheumatology (ACR) functional class II disease, and Markov ...

All patients who consulted with headache as the main clinical problem were included in the study. Each patient's headache was diagnosed using a data collection form dur­ ing the course of routine consultation. The data collec­ tion form was a computer program [Headache Assess­ ment Questionnaire (HAQ)] developed by me for use in my practice. HAQ consists of 47 questions each of which has a yes ...

INTRODUCTION In development of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remission definitions using clinical trials data, one criterion used to compare different remission definitions was whether, compared with those not in remission, those in remission had evidence of later disease stability defined by x-ray and functional ...

OBJECTIVE Information from successive inception cohorts is needed to monitor the long-term prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the effect of treatment on it. We studied work disability and its association with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) index and the Larsen score of radiographic damage. METHODS Work disability was recorded at onset and at 1, 3, 8, 15 and 20 yr from entry...

INTRODUCTION Few studies have prospectively assessed the tools used to measure quality of life, both generic and specific, in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to characterize a population of patients with early RA (less than 12 months after symptom onset at the time of the diagnosis) prospectively followed for the pattern of responses to...

To elucidate the difference between ratios of nurse consultation sought by senior rheumatologists and junior physicians in rheumatology residency training, and also to evaluate physician efficiency index respecting patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Data regarding outpatient visits for RA patients between November 2013 and 2015 were extracted. The mean interval (day) between consultations,...

OBJECTIVES Health risk assessment (HRA) questionnaires have become a popular tool to help quantify health issues within populations. Over the last decade HRAs have increasingly been delivered in the online environment. The objective of this study was to create and validate an HRA that is optimized for delivery via the Internet. DESIGN After an iterative process of user testing and interface d...

Quality of life (QOL) of patients affected by various diseases is now recognized as an important outcome variable. Consenting patients with rheumatoid arthritis (American College of Rheumatology criteria) were included in the study. Quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment, short form (WHOQOL-BREF). Disease activity was assessed by the Disease ...