A Standard Protocol to Evaluate Rheumatoid Arthritis (SPERA) for Efficient Capture of Essential Data from a Patient and a Health Professional in a Uniform Scientific Format

An efficient, uniform procedure to collect essential data for patients who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using a two- to four-page patient questionnaire and a three-page form for health professionals is known as a Standard Protocol to Assess Rheumatoid Arthritis (SPERA). The two- to four-page patient questionnaire may be a health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), multidimensional HAQ (MDHAQ), or variant, including a four-page format used in the Questionnaire in Standard Care of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (QUEST-RA) program. On each page, the three-page form for health professionals addresses (1) clinical features of RA; (2) medications taken currently, and major disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) taken previously; and (3) a 42-joint count, with joints assessed for four variables: swelling, tenderness, deformity/limited motion, and surgeries, and an entry for no abnormality. A radiographic scoring sheet may be included for a comprehensive baseline database. The 15 to 20 minutes needed to complete the SPERA generally produces efficiency over time in standard clinical care and does not preclude collection of additional information for clinical research or clinical care. The SPERA is presented as an example of a possible approach to develop a uniform common format for collecting core data in usual clinical care.