Data to be collected for an optimal management of axial spondyloarthritis in daily practice: Proposal from evidence-based and consensual approaches.

ABSTRACT Objective: To propose a list of variables to be collected right after the diagnosis has been made and during the follow-up of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (ax-SpA) for an optimal management in daily practice. Methods: The process comprised (1) the evaluation of the interest of 51 variables proposed for the assessment of ax-SpA by means of a systematic literature research (2) a consensus process involving 78 hospital-based or office-based rheumatologists, considering the collection of each variable in a 4 grade scale from” not very useful/useless” to “mandatory”, (3) a consensus on the minimum interval of time for periodic assessment of the selected variables on a 5 grade scale from “at each visit” to “never to be re-collected”. Results: The systematic literature research retrieved a total of 14,133 abstracts, of which 213 were included in the final qualitative synthesis. Data to be collected at the initial systematic review comprised 5 patient’s self-administered questionnaires, 3 variables of the physician’s interview, 2 variables of the physical examination, 2 variables of the specific ax-SpA imaging and 2 other investigations. Two variables were recommended to be systematically collected at each visit, 1 variable twice a year, 6 variables yearly and 1 variable every 2 years. Conclusions: Using an evidence-based and an expert consensus approaches, this initiative defined a core set of variables to be collected and reported right after the diagnosis and during follow-up of patients with ax-SpA in daily practice.