Rheumatologists' adherence to a disease activity score steered treatment protocol in early arthritis patients is less if the target is remission.
To compare rheumatologists' adherence to treatment protocols for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) targeted at Disease Activity Score (DAS) ≤2.4 or <1.6. The BeSt-study enrolled 508 early RA (1987) patients targeted at DAS ≤2.4. The IMPROVED-study included 479 early RA (2010) and 122 undifferentiated arthritis patients targeted at DAS <1.6. We evaluated rheumatologists' adherence to the protocols and assessed associated opinions and conditions during 5 years. Protocol adherence was higher in BeSt than in IMPROVED (86 and 70 %), with a greater decrease in IMPROVED (from 100 to 48 %) than in BeSt (100 to 72 %). In BeSt, 50 % of non-adherence was against treatment intensification/restart, compared to 63 % in IMPROVED and 50 vs. 37 % were against tapering/discontinuation. In both studies, non-adherence was associated with physicians' disagreement with DAS or with next treatment step and if patient's visual analogue scale (VAS) for general health was ≥20 mm higher than the physician's VAS. In IMPROVED, also discrepancies between swelling, pain, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and VASgh were associated with non-adherence. Adherence to DAS steered treatment protocols was high but decreased over 5 years, more in a DAS <1.6 steered protocol. Non-adherence was more likely if physicians disagreed with DAS or next treatment step. In the DAS <1.6 steered protocol, non-adherence was also associated with discrepancies between subjective and (semi)objective disease outcomes, and often against required treatment intensification. These results may indicate that adherence to DAS-steered protocols appears to depend in part on the height of the target and on how physicians perceive the DAS reflects RA activity.
Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, PO BOX 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands. g.akdemir@lumc.nl.
G
G
Akdemir
Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, PO BOX 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
I M
IM
Markusse
Haga Hospital, The Hague, Netherlands.
Y P M
YP
Goekoop-Ruiterman
Bronovo Hospital, The Hague, Netherlands.
G M
GM
Steup-Beekman
Zorgsaam, Terneuzen, Netherlands.
B A M
BA
Grillet
Reade, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
P J S M
PJ
Kerstens
Reade, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.|VUMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
W F
WF
Lems
Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, PO BOX 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
T W J
TW
Huizinga
Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, PO BOX 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
C F
CF
Allaart
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012074:Remission Induction; D000072140:Rheumatologists; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents
DAS steered protocols; Early rheumatoid arthritis; Physician; Protocol adherence; Treatment target
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