title: RADAI-5 and electronic monitoring tools.
abstract: Tighter monitoring of patients is regarded one of the key approaches to improve management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It could be demonstrated that the patient relevant disease course is not simply the linear link between two observation points, but fluctuates significantly in up to 80% of patients surveyed three times over two months, which understandably compromises quality of life. Patient self-report questionnaires such as the Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index-Five (RADAI-5) have been shown to provide reliable information about disease activity, functionality, and other important aspects of daily life. The internal consistency of such questionnaires was shown to be significantly higher than the one of the DAS28 or the CDAI. Innovative electronic tools can be easily foreseen to constitute the media to enhance the dialogue between healthcare professionals and patients to improve disease care. These tools collect patient-recorded outcomes (PROs) data, through which physicians can monitor the course of the individual disease. Electronic versions can enable patients to receive additional medical attention between visits and provide a more detailed record of disease course over time. Applying the RADAI-5 or other questionnaires in electronic assessment tools will allow for the individual assessment of health levels, well-being, joint pain and the quality of life. Such tools will enable more frequent patient monitoring, with the potential to improve the patient's situation as well as to enhance physicians' time management, and to prioritise patients who may need further attention.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Dept. of Medicine, Centre for Rheumatology Lower Austria, Karl Landsteiner Institute for Clinical Rheumatology, State Hospital Stockerau; and Dept.for Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of Graz, Austria. burkhard.leeb@stockerau.lknoe.at.
authors.forename: Burkhard F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Leeb
authors.affiliation: Department for Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Hans-Peter
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Brezinschek
authors.affiliation: 2nd Dept. of Medicine, Center for Rheumatology Lower Austria, Karl Landsteiner Institute for Clinical Rheumatology, State Hospital Stockerau, Austria.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rintelen
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005544:Forecasting; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D063731:Mobile Applications; D010358:Patient Participation; D000071066:Patient Reported Outcome Measures; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012219:Rheumatology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D000068997:Smartphone; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine