Trial reportBMJ open2017
Hand exercises for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an extended follow-up of the SARAH randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Quality of reporting and nature of harms in clinical trials on supervised exercise in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or axial spondyloarthritis.Rheumatology international · 2024Pooled it
- Measurements of self-efficacy in musculoskeletal rehabilitation: A systematic review.Musculoskeletal care · 2018Pooled it
- Exercise for rheumatoid arthritis of the hand.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- An Exercise and Educational and Self-management Program Delivered With a Smartphone App (CareHand) in Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hands: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Trial
- Loss to Follow-up After Tendon Repair: Impact on Functional Recovery.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Protective effects of swimming exercise on experimental rheumatoid arthritis in rats through modulation of leptin receptor expression and inflammation.Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Effect of traditional Chinese Yijinjing exercise on hand dysfunction in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- The relation between synovitis of individual finger joints and grip force over the first 5 years in early rheumatoid arthritis - a cohort study.Arthritis research & therapy · 2023Article
- The challenge of exercise (non-)adherence: a scoping review of methods and techniques applied to improve adherence to physical activity and exercise in people with inflammatory arthritis.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2023Article
- Review
- Clinical effect and biological mechanism of exercise for rheumatoid arthritis: A mini review.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- An Online Hand Exercise Intervention for Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis (mySARAH): Design, Development, and Usability Testing.Journal of medical Internet research · 2018Article
- Work Ability and Employment in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Role of Muscle Strength and Lower Extremity Function.International journal of rheumatology · 2018Article
- Plateletcrit is a Useful Marker in the Quality of Life Assessment of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study from Erbil, Iraq.Saudi journal of medicine & medical sciencesArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThe Stretching And strengthening for Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand (SARAH) randomised controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a hand exercise programme and demonstrated it was clinically effective and cost-effective at 12 months. The aim of this extended follow-up was to evaluate the effects of the SARAH programme beyond 12 months.
methodsUsing postal questionnaires, we collected the Michigan Hand Questionnaire hand function (primary outcome), activities of daily living and work subscales, pain troublesomeness, self-efficacy and health-related quality of life. All participants were asked how often they performed hand exercises for their rheumatoid arthritis. Mean difference in hand function scores were analysed by a linear model, adjusted for baseline score.
resultsTwo-thirds (n=328/490, 67%) of the original cohort provided data for the extended follow-up. The mean follow-up time was 26 months (range 19-40 months).There was no difference in change in hand function scores between the two groups at extended follow-up (mean difference (95% CI) 1.52 (-1.71 to 4.76)). However, exercise group participants were still significantly improved compared with baseline (p=0.0014) unlike the best practice usual care group (p=0.1122). Self-reported performance of hand exercises had reduced substantially.
conclusionsParticipants undertaking the SARAH exercise programme had improved hand function compared with baseline >2 years after randomisation. This was not the case for the control group. However, scores were no longer statistically different between the groups indicating the effect of the programme had diminished over time. This reduction in hand function compared with earlier follow-up points coincided with a reduction in self-reported performance of hand exercises. Further intervention to promote long-term adherence may be warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN89936343; Results.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.