TY - JOUR T1 - Most visits of most patients with rheumatoid arthritis to most rheumatologists do not include a formal quantitative joint count JF - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases JO - Ann Rheum Dis SP - 820 LP - 822 DO - 10.1136/ard.2005.044230 VL - 65 IS - 6 AU - T Pincus AU - O G Segurado Y1 - 2006/06/01 UR - http://ard.bmj.com/content/65/6/820.abstract N2 - Objective: To ask rheumatologists about the likelihood of performing a formal joint count at each visit of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in standard clinical care.Method: Direct query of rheumatologists at an international meeting of about 600 rheumatologists from 17 European countries.Results: Overall, 14% of rheumatologists reported performing a formal joint count at each visit of each patient, and 44% of rheumatologists reported performing a formal joint count at more than 50% of visits of patients with RA. Therefore, 56% of rheumatologists reported performing a joint count at fewer than 50% of visits, including 45% at fewer than 25% of visits. One in eight rheumatologists (13%) reported never performing a formal joint count.Conclusion: Although the joint count remains the most specific measure for RA, most visits of most patients with RA to most rheumatologists do not include a formal quantitative joint count. ER -