title: Comparison of four articular indices for use in clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis: patient, order and observer variation.
abstract: Using a Latin square design, 4 patients were examined by 4 rheumatologists. Joints were scored for tenderness and inflammation. The Ritchie, the index of the American Rheumatism Association (ARA), the Hart modified Ritchie and a simplified Lansbury index were calculated from the raw data. The results suggest that an articular index consisting of a simple count of tender joints (Hart modified Ritchie) or a simple count of tender or swollen joints (ARA index) are the most reproducible with multiple observers. We suggest that these indices would be most appropriate for multicenter clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Bone and Joint Research Unit, London Hospital Medical College, UK.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Goldsmith
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Spector
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ramsden
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index