Clinical judgment in rheumatoid arthritis. I. Rheumatologists' opinions and the development of ‘paper patients’.

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Opinions about the importance of various measures of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis gathered from a survey of 20% of British rheumatologists showed a wide diversity for all clinical variables. 'Paper patients' have been developed as a method of investigating actual clinical decisions rather than expressed opinions. Assessments based on 'paper patients' correlate highly (r = +0.901) with those made on the equivalent real patients when seen in person.