Diagnosis and management in standardised patients simulating axial spondyloarthritis
| Educational group (n=18) | p Value (within group) | Control group (n=43) | p Value (within group) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 (%) | Round 2 (%) | Change score (%) | Round 1 (%) | Round 2 (%) | Change score (%) | p Value (change scores, between groups) | |||
| Number 1 diagnosis | |||||||||
| Axial SpA | 4 (22) | 13 (72) | 9 (50) | 0.01 | 8 (19) | 6 (14) | −2 (−5) | 0.73 | <0.001 |
| Non-specific back pain | 10 (56) | 5 (28) | −5 (−28) | 0.23 | 31 (72) | 32 (74) | 1 (2) | 1.00 | 0.05 |
| Sacroiliac joint dysfunction | 2 (11) | 0 (0) | −2 (−11) | 0.50 | 2 (5) | 4 (9) | 2 (5) | 0.50 | 0.03 |
| Herniated nuclei pulposi | 1 (6) | 0 (0) | −1 (−6) | 1.00 | 2 (5) | 1 (2) | −1 (−2) | 1.00 | 0.66 |
| Poor posture | 1 (6) | 0 (0) | −1 (−6) | 1.00 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA | 0.12 |
| Additional diagnostic tests | |||||||||
| Laboratory tests (general) | 5 (28) | 6 (33) | 1 (5) | 1.00 | 13 (30) | 18 (42) | 5 (12) | 0.18 | 0.78 |
| HLA-B27 test | 6 (33) | 2 (11) | −4 (−22) | 0.13 | 4 (9) | 9 (21) | 5 (12) | 0.13 | 0.01 |
| Pelvic radiograph | 3 (17) | 3 (17) | 0 (0) | 1.00 | 4 (9) | 8 (19) | 4 (10) | 0.22 | 0.43 |
| Management | |||||||||
| NSAIDs prescribed | 4 (22) | 5 (28) | 1 (5) | 1.00 | 8 (19) | 8 (19) | 0 (0) | 1.00 | 0.65 |
| Follow-up consultation with GP (resident) arranged | 14 (78) | 13 (72) | −1 (−6) | 1.00 | 29 (67) | 30 (70) | 1 (3) | 1.00 | 0.66 |
Values are expressed as number (percentage) of participants. Numbers may not add up due to rounding. NcNemar tests were used within groups and Mann-Whitney U tests were used between groups.
GP, general practitioner; HLA-B27, human leucocyte antigen B27; NA, not assessed; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; SpA, spondyloarthritis; SPs, standardised patients.