title: Benchmarking: the five year outcome of rheumatoid arthritis assessed using a pain score, the Health Assessment Questionnaire, and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) in a community and a clinic based sample.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Treatment, and therefore outcome, of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will improve in the next few years. However, improvement in outcome can only be judged against the probability of certain outcomes with current conventional treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To document the five year outcome of RA in the late 1990s.
  
  
  METHODS
  Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal observational cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  318 patients with recent onset inflammatory polyarthritis recruited by NOAR in 1990-91 completed five years of follow up. Four groups were assessed: the whole cohort, all those referred to hospital, those who satisfied criteria for RA at baseline, and those referred to hospital who satisfied criteria for RA at baseline. Outcome was assessed with a visual analogue scale for pain, the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and the Short Form-36 (SF-36).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the RA hospital attenders, 50% had a visual analogue scale pain score of 5 cm or less and an HAQ score of 1.125 or less. SF-36 scores were reduced in all domains. Results are presented as cumulative percentages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results can be used for comparison and to set targets for improvement.
authors.affiliation: ARC Epidemiology Unit, University of Manchester Medical School, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Wiles
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Merry
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arie
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gaffney
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Silman
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Symmons
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy*; D019985:Benchmarking; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D016896:Treatment Outcome