title: Compliancy in splint-wearing behaviour of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Forty-six patients with rheumatoid arthritis affecting their hands were questioned to establish whether or not they complied with the medical specialist's instructions about wearing splints. Only one-third of the patients appeared to comply. A high extraversion score (measured on the EPI questionnnaire) identified half of the patients who did not comply. All patients scored significantly lower then the population norm on the introversion-extraversion dimension, indicating that this dimension may be involved in the psychosomatic aspect of rheumatoid arthritis.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy*; D005120:Extraversion, Psychological; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006227:Hand Deformities, Acquired / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007439:Introversion, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010810:Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine; D013165:Splints