Comparison between reporting to follow the EULAR and T2T recommendations and managing patients in clinical practice
| Rheumatologists’ opinion about adherence (measured in 72 rheumatologists)* | Rheumatologists’ performance in daily practice (measured in 378 patients)† | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always followed, n (%) | (Some) times/never followed, n (%) | Missing, n (%) | Always applied, n (%) | (Some) times/never applied, n (%) | Not reported, n (%) | |
| EU 1. ‘Treatment with synthetic DMARDs should be started as soon as the diagnosis of RA is made’. | 70 (98) | 1 (1) | 1 (1) | 253 (67) | 65 (17) | 60 (16) |
| EU 3. ‘MTX is part of the first treatment strategy in patients with active RA’. | 69 (96) | 2 (3) | 1 (1) | 225 (60) | 93 (24) | 60 (16) |
| EU 4. ‘When MTX contraindications (or intolerance) are present, the following DMARDs should be used: leflunomide, sulfasalazine of injectable gold’. | 59 (82) | 12 (17) | 1 (1) | 15 (19) | 78 (81) | |
| T2T ‘Measures of disease activity must be obtained and documented regularly’‡ | 60 (83) | 10 (14) | 2 (3) | 68 (27) | 125 (51) 23 in ≥75%; 45 in ≥50%; 27 in <50%; 30 in none of the visits | 54 (22) |
*Always=rheumatologists report following this recommendation, sometimes/never=rheumatologists report following this recommendation sometimes or not, missing=no answer was filled in.
†Always=rheumatologists follow this recommendation, sometimes/never=rheumatologists follow this recommendation sometimes or not. Not reported=no information present on whether the recommendation is followed by the rheumatologist.
‡As frequently as monthly for patients with high/moderate disease activity or less frequently (such as every 3–6 months) for patients in sustained low disease activity or remission.
EULAR, European League Against Rheumatism; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; T2T, treat to target.