Electronic monitoring of oral therapies in ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged patients with rheumatoid arthritis: consequences of low adherence.

Objective: To quantify adherence to oral therapies in ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using electronic medication monitoring, and to evaluate the clinical consequences of low adherence.

Methods: A total of 107 patients with RA enrolled in a 2-year prospective cohort study agreed to have their oral RA drug therapy intake electronically monitored using the Medication Event Monitoring System. Adherence to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and prednisone was determined as the percentage of days (or weeks for methotrexate) on which the patient took the correct dose as prescribed by the physician.

The symptom burden index: development and initial findings from use with patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objective: Our study had 3 aims: (1) to evaluate the functioning of the Symptom Burden Index (SBI) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc); (2) to determine the amount of burden per problem experienced by patients as well as the number of patients experiencing each measured problem area, and the number of SSc problems per patient; and (3) to characterize the burden profiles of problem area-specific subgroups of patients.

Methods: We developed the SBI to determine the effect of problems in 8 major symptomatic areas of importance to patients (skin, hand mobility, calcinosis, shortness of breath, eating, bowel, sleep, and pain).

Results: Sixty-two patients with SSc completed questionnaires on current disease-related problems, physical functioning, and health status.