High Adherence to System-Level Performance Measures for Rheumatoid Arthritis in a National Early Arthritis Cohort Over Eight Years

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2018 Jun;70(6):842-850. doi: 10.1002/acr.23439. Epub 2018 Mar 25.

Abstract

Objective: To assess adherence to 3 system-level performance measures in a national early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cohort.

Methods: Patients enrolled in the Canadian Early Arthritis Cohort (2007-2015) who met 1987 or 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria with <1 year of symptom duration and ≥1 year of followup after enrollment were included. Performance measures assessed were the percentage of RA patients seen in yearly followup, and the number of gaps between visits of >12 or >14 months, the percentage of RA patients treated with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), and days from RA diagnosis to initiation of a DMARD. Results are shown stratified by enrollment year to assess for temporal changes in performance.

Results: A total of 1,763 early RA patients were included (mean age 54 years, 73% female, and 82% white). At enrollment, mean ± SD disease duration was 6 ± 3 months, and Disease Activity Score in 28 joints was 5.1 ± 1.5. Over 8 years, the proportion of patients seen in annual followup declined from 100% to 91%. Over followup, 42% of patients had 0 gaps in care of >12 months, and 64% had 0 gaps >14 months. The percentage of DMARD-treated early RA patients was and remained high (95-87%), and the percentage receiving DMARDs within 14 days of diagnosis was 75%. Median time-to-DMARD therapy was 1 day, indicating DMARDs were initiated at diagnosis (90th percentile 93 days).

Conclusion: There was evidence of high adherence to system-level performance measures in this early RA cohort following a protocol. Small declines in performance were noted with increasing length of patient followup. Our findings are useful for performance measure benchmarking.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antirheumatic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / drug therapy*
  • Canada
  • Female
  • Guideline Adherence / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Process Assessment, Health Care
  • Prospective Studies
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Antirheumatic Agents