Abstract: Patient Perspective: Fatigue as a Recommended Patient Centered Outcome Measure in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Patient Perspective: Fatigue as a Recommended Patient Centered Outcome Measure in Rheumatoid Arthritis

JOHN R. KIRWAN, PATRICIA MINNOCK, ADE ADEBAJO, BARRY BRESNIHAN, ERNEST CHOY, MAARTEN de WIT, MIEKE HAZES, PAM RICHARDS, KENNETH SAAG, MARIA SUAREZ-ALMAZOR, GEORGE WELLS, and SARAH HEWLETT

ABSTRACT.

The Patient Perspective Workshop at OMERACT 8 considered evidence for the importance of fatigue to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether measurement of fatigue meets the requirements of the OMERACT filter. The workshop participants included 20 patients from 10 countries and 60 other OMERACT participants. Introductory papers and detailed notes for discussion group members set out the evidence from the literature and from recent analyses of clinical study data available to several participants. The workshop concluded that fatigue is a symptom that is important to patients, is commonly reported by patients, is often severe, can be measured by several current instruments that pass the OMERACT filter, is responsive to some interventions, and provides information additional to that commonly obtained from currently used outcomes. The final OMERACT plenary session endorsed by a very large majority (89%) the proposal that, in addition to the "core set" of outcome measures currently in widespread use, fatigue should be measured in future studies of RA whenever possible. (J Rheumatol 2007;34:1174–7)

Key Indexing Terms:

PATIENT CENTERED
VALIDITY
OUTCOMES
FATIGUE
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

From the University of Bristol Academic Rheumatology Unit, and United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust, Bristol, UK; Department of Rheumatology, Our Lady's Hospice and St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; Academic Rheumatology Group, University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, UK; Academic Department of Rheumatology, King's College, London, UK; Dutch Arthritis Patients' League; University Medical Center, Department of Rheumatology, Leiden, The Netherlands; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England, and United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.

J.R. Kirwan, MD, Professor of Rheumatic Diseases, University of Bristol; P. Minnock, MSc, Department of Rheumatology, Our Lady's Hospice and St. Vincent's University Dublin; A. Adebajo, MD, Department Academic Rheumatology Group, University of Sheffield Medical School; B. Bresnihan, MD, Professor of Rheumatology, The Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin and St. Vincent's University Hospital; E. Choy, MD, Academic Department of Rheumatology, GKT School of Medicine, London; M. de Wit, Dutch Arthritis Patients' League, Amsterdam; M. Hazes, MD, Leiden University Medical Center; P. Richards, Patient Research Partner, University of Bristol Academic Rheumatology Unit; K. Saag, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology; M. Suarez-Almazor, MD, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine; G. Wells, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa; S. Hewlett, PhD, Arthritis Research Campaign Professor of Rheumatology and Nursing, University of the West of England.

Workshop convenors: J. Kirwan, M. de Wit, S. Hewlett. Organizing group members: A. Adebajo, B. Bresnihan, E. Choy, M. de Wit, M. Hazes, P. Richards, K. Saag, M. Suarez-Almazor.

Address reprint requests to Prof. J.R. Kirwan, Rheumatology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol BS2 8HW, UK. E-mail: John.Kirwan@Bristol.ac.uk