A challenge to the medical care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the management of the wide variety of information, including medication history and disease status, obtained from multiple sources to inform treatment decisions. To address this important clinical issue, we developed a data management system, based on smart device technology, and evaluated the benefit of this information to medical experts in helping them to form an impression of patients' health and disease, and treatment status before examination.
Fifty-seven patients with RA input relevant information about their condition and responses to a self-report health assessment questionnaire into a smart device template before their scheduled examination. The efficacy of the system was assessed as a decrease in examination time at each visit, and the correlation between the self-reported Multi-Dimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire and the 28-joint Disease Activity Score 28-joint count erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), which was used as a gold standard.
Examination duration was reduced in most patients at each visit. During the study, there were no limitations for patients with poor eyesight or severe arthropathy in using the system. In fact, the majority of patients found the smart technology to be easier to use than hand-written questionnaires and health forms, regardless of age and disease activity.
Our findings support the use of smart technology to provide accurate patient-specific data and to streamline the process of medical care for patients with RA.