Baseline characteristics of users and non-users of SCQM apps (n=2111)
| Mean (SD) or % | ||||
| No app use (n=1799) | App only (n=150) | App use+discussion (n=162) | P value* | |
| Age (years) | 50.9 (13.1) | 46.6 (12.0) | 47.5 (13.4) | <0.001 |
| Male (%) | 43 | 45 | 44 | 0.809 |
| Highest level of education completed (%) | 0.367 | |||
| Compulsory | 10 | 5 | 8 | |
| Vocational | 57 | 55 | 56 | |
| Tertiary | 34 | 40 | 36 | |
| Employed | 77 | 84 | 80 | 0.216 |
| Diagnosis, n (%) | 0.011 | |||
| RA | 786 (44) | 55 (37) | 61 (38) | |
| PsA | 387 (22) | 31 (21) | 25 (15) | |
| axSpA | 626 (35) | 64 (43) | 76 (47) | |
| Disease duration (years) | 8.7 (9.0) | 10.2 (8.69) | 9.5 (8.7) | 0.122 |
| Number of comorbid conditions* | 1.4 (2.2) | 1.3 (2.2) | 1.0 (2.0) | 0.201 |
| Biological DMARD users (%) | 63 | 71 | 72 | 0.012 |
| Non-biological DMARD users (%) | 46 | 39 | 38 | 0.063 |
| Low disease activity at baseline (%) | 51 | 58 | 64 | 0.004 |
| Confident user of internet/smartphone in daily life (%) | 88 | 95 | 97 | <0.001 |
| Regular use of health tracking apps (%) | 30 | 27 | 37 | 0.131 |
*Test of difference between iDialog users and non-app users (t-test for means and χ test for proportions).
†Low disease activity was defined as DAS-28<3.2 in RA and BASDAI score≤4 in axSpA. In PsA, it was defined as fulfilling at least five of the seven following criteria for minimal disease activity: tender joint count≤1, swollen joint count≤1, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score≤1 or body surface area≤3%, patient pain VAS score≤15, patient global disease activity VAS score≤20, HAQ Disability Index score≤0.5 and tender entheseal points≤1.
axSpA, axial spondyloarthritis; BASDAI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index; DAS-28, Disease Activity Score with 28 Joint Counts; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; PsA, psoriatic arthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; SCQM, Swiss Clinical Quality Management in Rheumatic Diseases Registry; VAS, Visual Analogue Scale.