Agreement of Physicians and Nurses Performing Tender and Swollen Joint Counts in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: The aims of this study were to assess the agreement of physicians and nurses performing tender and swollen joint counts (TJCs/SJCs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and identify factors that might influence their examinations including patient age, sex, race, RA disease duration, body mass index, RA disease activity level, comorbid fibromyalgia, comorbid osteoarthritis, and levels of acute-phase reactants.

Methods: Seventy-two RA participants underwent TJCs/SJCs of 28 joints using a standardized protocol by 2 nurses and 2 rheumatologists. Demographic, laboratory, radiographic, and clinical data were obtained to assess the influence of these factors on TJCs/SJCs.

Do patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in clinical remission have evidence of persistent inflammation on 3T magnetic resonance imaging?

Objective: Up to 90% of adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission have persistent synovitis and/or bone marrow lesions (BMLs) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI findings in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in clinical remission have not been described. We utilized 3T MRI with contrast enhancement to examine JIA patients with hand and/or wrist involvement who were in clinical remission and compared them with a cohort of adult RA patients.

Assessing for risk and progression of osteoarthritis: the nurse's role: understanding pathophysiology, epidemiology, and risk will aid nurses who are seeking to expand their role in management.

The authors review the primary and secondary risk factors for osteoarthritis (OA), its pathophysiology and epidemiology, the evidence-based approaches to slowing progression, and the role of nurses encountering OA in primary care and other settings.

Assessing for risk and progression of osteoarthritis: the nurse's role.

The authors review the primary and secondary risk factors for osteoarthritis (OA), its pathophysiology and epidemiology, the evidence-based approaches to slowing progression, and the role of nurses encountering OA in primary care and other settings.