Oral anticoagulant treatment in rheumatoid arthritis patients with atrial fibrillation results of an international audit.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to evaluate the proportion of patients with AF receiving guideline-recommended anticoagulation for prevention of stroke, based on data from a large international audit. Methods: The cohort was derived from the international audit SUrvey of cardiovascular disease Risk Factors in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (SURF-RA) which collected data from 17 countries during 2014-2019. We evaluated the prevalence of AF across world regions and explored factors associated with the presence of AF with multivariable logistic regression models. The proportion of AF patients at high risk of stroke (CHA2DS2-VASc ≥ 2 in males and ≥ 3 in females) receiving anticoagulation was examined. Results: Of the total SURF-RA cohort (n = 14,503), we included RA cases with data on whether the diagnosis of AF was present or not (n = 7,665, 75.1% women, mean (SD) age 58.7 (14.1) years). A total of 288 (3.8%) patients had a history of AF (4.4% in North America, 3.4% in Western Europe, 2.8% in Central and Eastern Europe and 1.5% in Asia). Factors associated with the presence of AF were older age, male sex, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure and hypertension. Two-hundred and fifty-five (88.5%) RA patients had a CHA2DS2-VASc score indicating recommendation for oral anticoagulant treatment, and of them, 164 (64.3%) were anticoagulated. Conclusion: Guideline-recommended anticoagulant therapy for prevention of stroke due to AF may not be optimally implemented among RA patients, and requires special attention.

A Clinical Audit of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Disease in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis - SURF-RA.

Background and aims: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are at a high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). This implies a need for meticulous CVD risk factor recording and control. Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the international prevalence of ASCVD in RA patients and to audit the prevalence and control of CVD risk factors. Methods: A SUrvey of cardiovascular disease Risk Factors in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (SURF-RA) was performed at 53 centres in 19 countries in three continents between 2014 and 2019. CVD risk factors, medication, and physical and laboratory measurements were recorded. CVD risk was estimated using the ESC's SCORE system. Results: Among 14503 RA patients in Western (n=8493) and Central and Eastern (n=923) Europe, Mexico (n=407), North America (n=4030) and Asia (n=650) (mean age 59.9 years, 74.5% female), ASCVD was present in 15%, varying from 2.5% in Mexico to 21% in Central and Eastern Europe. Sixty-two percent reported hypertension and 63% had a LDL-c of > 2.5 mmol/L. Mean BMI was 27.4 kg/m2 in the total cohort, highest in North America (29.7 kg/m2), and lowest in Asia (23.8 kg/m2). A sixth of patients were current smokers, and 13% had diabetes mellitus. Approximately 45% had an estimated high or very high risk of fatal CVD according to SCORE algorithm, and ¾ of patients had only ≤4/6 CVD risk factors at recommended target. Conclusion: Among RA patients across three continents, established CVD and CVD risk factors are common, although geographical variation exists. Furthermore, CVD risk factors often remain inadequately controlled.

Patient involvement in rheumatoid arthritis care to improve disease activity-based management in daily practice: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of an intervention to improve disease activity-based management of RA in daily clinical practice by addressing patient level barriers. METHODS: The DAS-pass strategy aims to increase patients' knowledge about DAS28 and to empower patients to be involved in treatment (decisions). It consists of an informational leaflet, a patient held record and guidance by a specialized rheumatology nurse. In a Randomized Controlled Trial, 199 RA patients were randomized 1:1 to intervention or control group. Outcome measures were patient empowerment (EC-17; primary outcome), attitudes towards medication (BMQ), disease activity (DAS28) and knowledge about DAS28. RESULTS: Our strategy did not affect EC-17, BMQ, or DAS28 use. However it demonstrated a significant improvement of knowledge about DAS28 in the intervention group, compared to the control group. The intervention had an additional effect on patients with low baseline knowledge compared to patients with high baseline knowledge. CONCLUSION: The DAS-pass strategy educates patients about (the importance of) disease activity-based management, especially patients with low baseline knowledge. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The strategy supports patient involvement in disease activity-based management of RA and can be helpful to reduce inequalities between patients in the ability to be involved in shared decision making.

EULAR points to consider for the management of difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To develop evidence-based European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) points to consider (PtCs) for the management of difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2T RA). METHODS: An EULAR Task Force was established comprising 34 individuals: 26 rheumatologists, patient partners and rheumatology experienced health professionals. Two systematic literature reviews addressed clinical questions around diagnostic challenges, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic strategies in D2T RA. PtCs were formulated based on the identified evidence and expert opinion. Strength of recommendations (SoR, scale A-D: A typically consistent level 1 studies and D level 5 evidence or inconsistent studies) and level of agreement (LoA, scale 0-10: 0 completely disagree and 10 completely agree) of the PtCs were determined by the Task Force members. RESULTS: Two overarching principles and 11 PtCs were defined concerning diagnostic confirmation of RA, evaluation of inflammatory disease activity, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, treatment adherence, functional disability, pain, fatigue, goal setting and self-efficacy and the impact of comorbidities. The SoR varied from level C to level D. The mean LoA with the overarching principles and PtCs was generally high (8.4-9.6). CONCLUSIONS: These PtCs for D2T RA can serve as a clinical roadmap to support healthcare professionals and patients to deliver holistic management and more personalised pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic strategies. High-quality evidence was scarce. A research agenda was created to guide future research.

An international audit of the management of dyslipidaemia and hypertension in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from 19 countries.

AIMS: To assess differences in estimated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from different world regions and to evaluate the management and goal attainment of lipids and blood pressure (BP). METHODS AND RESULTS: The survey of CVD risk factors in patients with RA was conducted in 14 503 patients from 19 countries during 2014-19. The treatment goal for BP was <140/90 mmHg. CVD risk prediction and lipid goals were according to the 2016 European guidelines. Overall, 21% had a very high estimated risk of CVD, ranging from 5% in Mexico, 15% in Asia, 19% in Northern Europe, to 31% in Central and Eastern Europe and 30% in North America. Of the 52% with indication for lipid-lowering treatment (LLT), 44% were using LLT. The lipid goal attainment was 45% and 18% in the high and very high risk groups, respectively. Use of statins in monotherapy was 24%, while 1% used statins in combination with other LLT. Sixty-two per cent had hypertension and approximately half of these patients were at BP goal. The majority of the patients used antihypertensive treatment in monotherapy (24%), while 10% and 5% as a two- or three-drug combination. CONCLUSION: We revealed considerable geographical differences in estimated CVD risk and preventive treatment. Low goal attainment for LLT was observed, and only half the patients obtained BP goal. Despite a high focus on the increased CVD risk in RA patients over the last decade, there is still substantial potential for improvement in CVD preventive measures.

Co-Design of a Disease Activity Based Self-Management Approach for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The systematic development of an intervention to improve disease activity-based management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in daily clinical practice that is based on patient-level barriers. METHODS: The self-management strategy was developed through a step-wise approach, in a process of co-design with all stakeholders and by addressing patient level barriers to RA management based on disease activity. RESULTS: The resulting DAS-pass strategy consists of decision supportive information and guidance by a specialised rheumatology nurse. It aims to increase patients' knowledge on DAS28, to empower patients to be involved in disease management, and to improve patients' medication beliefs. The decision supportive information includes an informational leaflet and a patient held record. The nurse individualises the information, stimulates patients to communicate about disease activity, and offers the opportunity for questions or additional support. CONCLUSION: The DAS-pass strategy was found helpful by stakeholders. It can be used to improve RA daily clinical practice. Our systematic approach can be used to improve patient knowledge and self-management on other RA related topics. Also, it can be used to improve the management of other chronic conditions. We therefore provide a detailed description of our methodology to assist those interested in developing an evidence-based strategy for educating and empowering patients.

Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular risk management in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an international audit.

AIM: The objective was to examine the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and its risk factors among patients with RA with diabetes mellitus (RA-DM) and patients with RA without diabetes mellitus (RAwoDM), and to evaluate lipid and blood pressure (BP) goal attainment in RA-DM and RAwoDM in primary and secondary prevention. METHODS: The cohort was derived from the Survey of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis from 53 centres/19 countries/3 continents during 2014-2019. We evaluated the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among RA-DM and RAwoDM. The study population was divided into those with and without ASCVD, and within these groups we compared risk factors and CVD preventive treatment between RA-DM and RAwoDM. RESULTS: The study population comprised of 10 543 patients with RA, of whom 1381 (13%) had DM. ASCVD was present in 26.7% in RA-DM compared with 11.6% RAwoDM (p<0.001). The proportion of patients with a diagnosis of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and use of lipid-lowering or antihypertensive agents was higher among RA-DM than RAwoDM (p<0.001 for all). The majority of patients with ASCVD did not reach the lipid goal of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <1.8 mmol/L. The lipid goal attainment was statistically and clinically significantly higher in RA-DM compared with RAwoDM both for patients with and without ASCVD. The systolic BP target of <140 mm Hg was reached by the majority of patients, and there were no statistically nor clinically significant differences in attainment of BP targets between RA-DM and RAwoDM. CONCLUSION: CVD preventive medication use and prevalence of ASCVD were higher in RA-DM than in RAwoDM, and lipid goals were also more frequently obtained in RA-DM. Lessons may be learnt from CVD prevention programmes in DM to clinically benefit patients with RA .

Telemedicine in the management of rheumatoid arthritis: maintaining disease control with less health-care utilization.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the use of an eHealth platform and a self-management outpatient clinic in patients with RA in a real-world setting. The effects on health-care utilization and disease activity were studied. METHODS: Using hospital data of patients with RA between 2014 and 2019, the use of an eHealth platform and participation in a self-management outpatient clinic were studied. An interrupted time series analysis compared the period before and after the introduction of the eHealth platform. The change in trend (relative to the pre-interruption trend) for the number of outpatient clinic visits and the DAS for 28 joints (DAS28) were determined for several scenarios. RESULTS: After implementation of the platform in April 2017, the percentage of patients using it was stable at ∼37%. On average, the users of the platform were younger, more highly educated and had better health outcomes than the total RA population. After implementation of the platform, the mean number of quarterly outpatient clinic visits per patient decreased by 0.027 per quarter (95% CI: -0.045, -0.08, P = 0.007). This was accompanied by a significant decrease in DAS28 of 0.056 per quarter (95% CI: -0.086, -0025, P = 0.001). On average, this resulted in 0.955 fewer visits per patient per year and a reduction of 0.503 in the DAS28. CONCLUSION: The implementation of remote patient monitoring has a positive effect on health-care utilization, while maintaining low disease activity. This should encourage the use of this type of telemedicine in the management of RA, especially while many routine outpatient clinic visits are cancelled owing to COVID-19.

Effect of significant weight loss on disease activity: reason to implement this non-pharmaceutical intervention in daily clinical practice.

Obesity is very common in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs), of which between 27% and 37% of patients have a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 In addition to further increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in this group of patients, obesity is associated with higher disease activity and a lower response to drug therapy. This case series showed that in those patients with rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis with a substantial weight loss of >10% of body mass, median Disease Activity Score 28 joints score decreased with 0.9. This reduction in disease activity resulted in an increase in the percentage of patients achieving remission from 6% to 63%. This reduction in disease activity was obtained without intensification of medical treatment in 87% of the patients. This case series supports the current evidence that weight reduction has positive effects on the course of the disease and thus also on the CVD risk profile in these patients. Therefore, weight loss can serve as a non-pharmacological treatment option in obese patients with IRDs.

EULAR definition of difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Despite treatment according to the current management recommendations, a significant proportion of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain symptomatic. These patients can be considered to have 'difficult-to-treat RA'. However, uniform terminology and an appropriate definition are lacking. OBJECTIVE: The Task Force in charge of the "Development of EULAR recommendations for the comprehensive management of difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis" aims to create recommendations for this underserved patient group. Herein, we present the definition of difficult-to-treat RA, as the first step. METHODS: The Steering Committee drafted a definition with suggested terminology based on an international survey among rheumatologists. This was discussed and amended by the Task Force, including rheumatologists, nurses, health professionals and patients, at a face-to-face meeting until sufficient agreement was reached (assessed through voting). RESULTS: The following three criteria were agreed by all Task Force members as mandatory elements of the definition of difficult-to-treat RA: (1) Treatment according to European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendation and failure of ≥2 biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs)/targeted synthetic DMARDs (with different mechanisms of action) after failing conventional synthetic DMARD therapy (unless contraindicated); (2) presence of at least one of the following: at least moderate disease activity; signs and/or symptoms suggestive of active disease; inability to taper glucocorticoid treatment; rapid radiographic progression; RA symptoms that are causing a reduction in quality of life; and (3) the management of signs and/or symptoms is perceived as problematic by the rheumatologist and/or the patient. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed EULAR definition for difficult-to-treat RA can be used in clinical practice, clinical trials and can form a basis for future research.

Does Etanercept Biosimilar Prescription in a Rheumatology Center Bend the Medication Cost Curve?

OBJECTIVE: The market entry of biosimilars is expected to bring budgetary relief. Our objective was to determine how the introduction of biosimilars influences medication costs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and which patients gain access to biologics due to the availability of biosimilars. METHODS: Using hospital data of patients with RA between 2014 and 2018, an interrupted time series was performed. The interruption in the time series was placed at June 2016 (i.e., the introduction of the etanercept biosimilar). The changes in trends for rheumatic medication costs before and after the interruption were measured. Secondary analyses focused on explaining these trends. RESULTS: In the first quarter after the interruption, there was a decrease in total costs for biologic users of -€63,020 (95% CI -€96,487 to -€29,553, P = 0.001). The postinterruption trend did not differ from the preinterruption trend (95% CI -€6695 to €6715, P = 0.998) and after 3 quarters, the medication costs were back at the interruption level. After the interruption, the average cost per biologic user decreased by -€370 (95% CI -€602 to -€138, P = 0.005), followed by a quarterly decrease (relative to the preinterruption trend; 95% CI -€86 to -€14, P = 0.010), bending the average cost curve. The percentage of patients being treated with biologics increased in postinterruption by 0.50 percentage points quarterly (95% CI 0.38-0.62, P < 0.001). Also, the average age at the start of the first biologic increased after the interruption (P = 0.057). CONCLUSION: The average cost per patient treated with biologics decreased after the introduction of biosimilars with a persistent trend. However, the budgetary relief due to market entry of biosimilars vanished quickly due to an increase in patients treated with biologics.

One-year results after transitioning from etanercept originator to biosimilar in a setting promoting shared decision-making in rheumatology.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to study the effect of non-mandatory transitioning from etanercept originator to etanercept biosimilar on retention rates in a setting promoting shared decision-making. METHODS: In 2016, all patients treated with etanercept originator and stable disease at the Rheumatology department in Bernhoven were offered transitioning to etanercept biosimilar by an opt-in approach. A historical cohort of patients treated with etanercept originator in 2015 was identified as the control group. Etanercept discontinuation was compared between the cohorts using Cox regression. To study the nocebo effect, reasons for discontinuation were categorized into objective reasons (e.g. laboratory abnormalities, increase in swollen joint count, allergic reaction) and subjective health complaints (symptoms perceptible only to the patient, e.g. tiredness, arthralgia). An adjusted Kaplan-Meier curve for retention of the etanercept biosimilar was made, censoring subjective health complaints as the reason for discontinuation. RESULTS: Seventy of the 79 patients eligible for transitioning agreed to transition (89%). The 1-year crude retention rate of etanercept in the transition cohort was 73% (95% CI: 0.62, 0.83), compared with a retention rate of 89% (95% CI: 0.81, 0.95) in the historical cohort (P = 0.013). This resulted in a higher risk of treatment discontinuation in the transition cohort (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.73; 95% CI: 1.23, 6.05, P = 0.01). After adjusting for the nocebo effect, the cohorts had comparable retention rates (86 vs 89%, P = 0.51). CONCLUSION: Non-mandatory transition from etanercept originator to its biosimilar using an opt-in approach in a setting promoting shared decision-making resulted in a higher discontinuation of etanercept compared with the historical cohort. This could be attributed largely to the nocebo effect.

Patients' experiences regarding self-monitoring of the disease course: an observational pilot study in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases at a rheumatology outpatient clinic in The Netherlands.

OBJECTIVES: Self-monitoring the disease course is a relatively new concept in the management of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs). The aims of this pilot study were to obtain patients' experiences with online self-monitoring, to assess information about the agreement between the disease course assessed with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and an objectively measured Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) by the rheumatologist, and to assess adherence to predetermined PROM frequency intervals. DESIGN: Observational study using qualitative and quantitative methods. SETTING: The rheumatology outpatient clinic of a teaching hospital in The Netherlands (secondary care). PARTICIPANTS: 47 patients with an IRD who regularly attended the outpatient clinic. METHODS: Patients completed PROMs by using an online self-monitoring program. Their experiences regarding self-monitoring were qualitatively assessed through a focus group discussion and telephone interviews using a thematic analysis approach. Adherence to the predefined PROM frequency (completed PROM assessments within the predetermined frequency) and the agreement between the DAS28 course and PROM values (Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index-5 and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID)) were quantitatively assessed using descriptives. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients participated, most of them diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (n=38, 80.9%). Three themes were identified: knowledge about and insight into the disease (activity), patient-professional interaction and functionality of the program. Mean adherence to the predetermined PROM frequency was 68.1%. The RAID showed the best agreement with the DAS28 course. Mean participation time was 350 days. CONCLUSION: Patients were predominantly positive about online self-monitoring. They indicated that they gained more knowledge about their disease, felt less dependent on the healthcare professional and valued the insight into their long-term disease course. Barriers were mostly related to technical factors. Patients were able to and willing to self-monitor their disease, which could contribute to a more efficient allocation of outpatient consultations in the future.

Two parallel short forms to measure disease- and treatment-associated knowledge in rheumatoid arthritis: application of item response theory.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to develop two disease- and treatment-related knowledge about RA (DataK-RA) short forms using item response theory-based linear optimal test design. METHODS: We used the open source Excel add-in solver to program a linear optimization algorithm to develop two short forms from the DataK-RA item bank. The algorithm was instructed to optimize precision (i.e. reliability) of the scores for both short forms, subject to a number of constraints that served to ensure that each short form would include unique items and that the short forms would have similar psychometric properties. Agreement among item response theory scores obtained from the different short forms was assessed using the Bland-Altman method and Student's paired t-test. Construct validity and relative efficiency of the short forms was evaluated by relating the score to age, sex and educational attainment. RESULTS: Two short forms were derived from the DataK-RA item bank that satisfied all content constraints. Both short forms included 15 unique items and yielded reliable scores (r > 0.70), with low ceiling and floor effects. The short forms yielded statistically indistinguishable mean scores according to Student's paired t-test and Bland-Altman analysis. Scores on short forms 1 and 2 were associated with age, sex and educational attainment to a similar extent. CONCLUSION: In this study, we developed two DataK-RA short forms with unique items, yet similar psychometric properties, that can be used to assess patients pre- and post-test interventions aimed at improving disease-related knowledge in RA patients.

Prediction of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis using risk age calculations: evaluation of concordance across risk age models.

BACKGROUND: In younger individuals, low absolute risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may conceal an increased risk age and relative risk of CVD. Calculation of risk age is proposed as an adjuvant to absolute CVD risk estimation in European guidelines. We aimed to compare the discriminative ability of available risk age models in prediction of CVD in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Secondly, we also evaluated the performance of risk age models in subgroups based on RA disease characteristics. METHODS: RA patients aged 30-70 years were included from an international consortium named A Trans-Atlantic Cardiovascular Consortium for Rheumatoid Arthritis (ATACC-RA). Prior CVD and diabetes mellitus were exclusion criteria. The discriminatory ability of specific risk age models was evaluated using c-statistics and their standard errors after calculating time until fatal or non-fatal CVD or last follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 1974 patients were included in the main analyses, and 144 events were observed during follow-up, the median follow-up being 5.0 years. The risk age models gave highly correlated results, demonstrating R2 values ranging from 0.87 to 0.97. However, risk age estimations differed > 5 years in 15-32% of patients. C-statistics ranged 0.68-0.72 with standard errors of approximately 0.03. Despite certain RA characteristics being associated with low c-indices, standard errors were high. Restricting analysis to European RA patients yielded similar results. CONCLUSIONS: The cardiovascular risk age and vascular age models have comparable performance in predicting CVD in RA patients. The influence of RA disease characteristics on the predictive ability of these prediction models remains inconclusive.

Strategies for implementation of guideline recommended cardiovascular risk management for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from a questionnaire survey of expert rheumatology centers.

The aim was to study the different strategies used to implement cardiovascular risk evaluation and management for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in daily clinical practice. A questionnaire survey was performed among both the members of the international Trans-Atlantic Cardiovascular Risk Consortium for Rheumatoid Arthritis (ATACC-RA) as well as the Survey of cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVD-RF) in patients with RA (SURF-RA) group. The questionnaire included 18 questions with the overarching topics: (1) organization and responsibility of cardiovascular risk management (CVRM); (2) screening of CVD-RFs; (3) overview current CVRM status; and (4) availability of data regarding CVRM. Based on the answers, two researchers (JW, PR) independently categorized the different strategies. Thirteen out of 27 rheumatology centers responded to the questionnaire. One rheumatology center did not have organized CVRM for their RA patients. Among the other centers, three strategies to organize CVRM in daily practice were distinguished: (1) the rheumatologist performs CVRM during outpatient visits (n = 6); (2) cardiologists and rheumatologists co-operate in a cardio-rheuma-clinic/team with different tasks and responsibilities (n = 3); and (3) the general practitioner screens and intervenes on CVD-RFs (n = 3). Each CVRM strategy was based on agreements between medical professionals and was also dependent on the national healthcare system and available financial resources. Three strategies were identified for CVRM implementation in daily clinical practice based on who is primarily responsible for performing CVRM. More research is warranted to compare their relative merits and effectiveness in relation to CVRM.

Disease activity-based management of rheumatoid arthritis in Dutch daily clinical practice has improved over the past decade.

To re-evaluate the adherence to clinical practice guidelines recommended disease activity-based management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in daily clinical practice, among Dutch rheumatologists in the past decade. In 2007, disease activity was measured in only 16% of outpatient visits. All rheumatologists that participated in the 2007 study were invited to re-enter our study in 2016/2017. If necessary, data were supplemented with data from other rheumatologists. For all 26 rheumatologists who agreed to participate in our study, data were collected from 30 consecutive patients that visited the outpatient clinic. Per patient, data from four consecutive rheumatologist outpatient visits were collected. Since 2007, disease activity was measured more frequently in Dutch daily clinical practice, increasing from 16 to 79% of visits (2440/3081 visits). In addition, intensification of medication based on disease activity scores increased from 33 to 50% of visits (260/525 visits). DAS/DAS28 was the most frequently used disease activity measure (1596/2440 visits). There was a wide variation among rheumatologists in measuring disease activity and intensification of medication, 20-100% and 0-75% respectively. Over the past years, there has been a large improvement in disease activity assessment in daily clinical practice. Disease activity-based medication intensifications, also called tight control or treat to target, increased to a lesser extent. Large variation between different rheumatologists and clinics indicates that there is still room for improvement. Key Points • Following guideline dissemination disease activity is assessed more frequently (79%). • There is large variation between rheumatologists, indicating room for improvement. • Finding factors that explain variation is necessary to improve tight control in daily practice.

The Development and Evaluation of Personalized Training in Shared Decision-making Skills for Rheumatologists.

OBJECTIVE: Many factors influence a patient's preference in engaging in shared decision making (SDM). Several training programs have been developed for teaching SDM to physicians, but none of them focused on the patients' preferences. We developed an SDM training program for rheumatologists with a specific focus on patients' preferences and assessed its effects. METHODS: A training program was developed, pilot tested, and given to 30 rheumatologists. Immediately after the training and 10 weeks later, rheumatologists were asked to complete a questionnaire to evaluate the training. Patients were asked before and after the training to complete a questionnaire on patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Ten weeks after the training, 57% of the rheumatologists felt they were capable of estimating the need of patients to engage in SDM, 62% felt their communication skills had improved, and 33% reported they engaged more in SDM. Up to 268 patients were included. Overall, patient satisfaction was high, but there were no statistically significant differences in patient satisfaction before and after the training. CONCLUSION: The training was received well by the participating rheumatologists. Even in a population of rheumatologists that communicates well, 62% reported improvement. The training program increased awareness about the principles of SDM in patients and physicians, and improved physicians' communicative skills, but did not lead to further improvement in patients' satisfaction, which was already high.

Smoking cessation is associated with lower disease activity and predicts cardiovascular risk reduction in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

OBJECTIVES: Smoking is a major risk factor for the development of both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and RA and may cause attenuated responses to anti-rheumatic treatments. Our aim was to compare disease activity, CVD risk factors and CVD event rates across smoking status in RA patients. METHODS: Disease characteristics, CVD risk factors and relevant medications were recorded in RA patients without prior CVD from 10 countries (Norway, UK, Netherlands, USA, Sweden, Greece, South Africa, Spain, Canada and Mexico). Information on CVD events was collected. Adjusted analysis of variance, logistic regression and Cox models were applied to compare RA disease activity (DAS28), CVD risk factors and event rates across categories of smoking status. RESULTS: Of the 3311 RA patients (1012 former, 887 current and 1412 never smokers), 235 experienced CVD events during a median follow-up of 3.5 years (interquartile range 2.5-6.1). At enrolment, current smokers were more likely to have moderate or high disease activity compared with former and never smokers (P < 0.001 for both). There was a gradient of worsening CVD risk factor profiles (lipoproteins and blood pressure) from never to former to current smokers. Furthermore, former and never smokers had significantly lower CVD event rates compared with current smokers [hazard ratio 0.70 (95% CI 0.51, 0.95), P = 0.02 and 0.48 (0.34, 0.69), P < 0.001, respectively]. The CVD event rates for former and never smokers were comparable. CONCLUSION: Smoking cessation in patients with RA was associated with lower disease activity and improved lipid profiles and was a predictor of reduced rates of CVD events.