title: MDHAQ/RAPID3 to recognize improvement over 2 months in usual care of patients with osteoarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, spondyloarthropathy, and gout, as well as rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze whether MDHAQ (Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire) scores for physical function (FN), pain, Patient Global Estimate (PATGL), and RAPID3 (Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data, a composite of these 3 measures) document improvement in patients with osteoarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, spondyloarthropathy, and gout, similarly to rheumatoid arthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a solo rheumatology practice, every patient completes an MDHAQ/RAPID3 and is assigned a Physician Global Estimate (DOCGL) at every visit. Mean and median FN (0-10 scale), pain (0-10), PATGL (0-10), RAPID3 (0-30), and DOCGL (0-10) were computed at first visit and 2 months later in 141 new patients with 5 diagnoses. Proportions with RAPID3 high (>12), moderate (6.1-12), and low (3.1-6) severity and remission (≤3) were computed. Differences between baseline and 2-month follow-up for each diagnosis were analyzed using paired t tests. Mean changes over 2 months across 5 diagnoses were compared using analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean baseline scores for all measures were in narrow ranges for all 5 diagnoses: FN 1.5 to 2.5, pain 4.2 to 5.9, PATGL 4.3 to 5.6, RAPID3 10.1 to 13.7, and DOCGL 2.4 to 4.0. Improvement for FN was 9.4% to 26.8% in all diagnoses but osteoarthritis, for pain 20.2% to 35.3% in all diagnoses, PATGL 11.3% to 30.4%, RAPID3 16.8% to 27.5%, and for DOCGL 23.8% to 36.4%, similar in 5 diagnostic groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MDHAQ, RAPID3, and DOCGL document similar baseline and improvement scores in patients with 5 diagnoses. These quantitative data may supplement traditional narrative, "gestalt" descriptions in usual care of patients with any rheumatic disease.
authors.affiliation: NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Castrejón
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pincus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006073:Gout / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D025242:Spondylarthropathies / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires