title: Clinical judgment in rheumatoid arthritis. I. Rheumatologists' opinions and the development of 'paper patients'.
abstract: Opinions about the importance of various measures of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis gathered from a survey of 20% of British rheumatologists showed a wide diversity for all clinical variables. 'Paper patients' have been developed as a method of investigating actual clinical decisions rather than expressed opinions. Assessments based on 'paper patients' correlate highly (r = +0.901) with those made on the equivalent real patients when seen in person.
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D012219:Rheumatology