Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39836613›Full record

ArticleRheumatology (Oxford, England)2025

In clinical hand osteoarthritis research, self-reported pain questionnaires do not reflect the patient experience.

Coen van der Meulen, Lotte A van de Stadt, Féline P B Kroon, Marieke Niesters, Frits R Rosendaal, Margreet Kloppenburg

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Coen van der MeulenDepartment of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-6624-3246
Lotte A van de StadtDepartment of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Féline P B KroonDepartment of Rheumatology, Zuyderland Medical Centre, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Marieke NiestersDepartment of Anesthesiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Frits R RosendaalDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2558-7496
Margreet KloppenburgDepartment of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Funding

Dutch Arthritis SocietySKMS
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePain in hand osteoarthritis (OA) is evaluated with repeated pain questionnaires. It is unclear whether these questionnaires adequately capture changes in pain recalled by patients. This study investigated whether changes on pain questionnaires (real-time evaluation) correspond to recalled pain.

methodsData from hand OA patients from the HOSTAS cohort (four one-yearly) and HOPE trial (one six-week interval) were used. Pain was measured with the Australian/Canadian hand Osteoarthritis Index (AUSCAN, range 0-20) and a recall question (how is the pain compared with your last visit). Changes in AUSCAN pain were categorized into improved (≤-1), stable or worsened pain (≥1) and compared with the recall question using Cohen's kappa and percentage agreement. We determined concordance between measurement methods, and investigated associations of mental well-being and illness perceptions with concordance using generalized estimating equations (GEE).

resultsOf 708 intervals from HOSTAS (307 patients, 82% women, mean age 61.0 years, mean AUSCAN 9.1), AUSCAN changes and recall were concordant in 42% (Cohen's kappa 0.13). There was concordance in 47% of 86 intervals (Cohen's kappa 0.14) from the HOPE trial (86 patients, 80% women, mean age 63.5, mean AUSCAN 10.7). The most frequent recall answer was worsened pain in the HOSTAS (60%), improved pain in the HOPE trial (76%). In both studies, AUSCAN pain most frequently improved. Depression and anxiety showed no association with concordance.

conclusionChanges in repeatedly measured AUSCAN pain often differ from the recalled course of pain over the same period. This has profound implications for evaluating patient-reported pain in clinical trials.

Indexed as

Hand JointsOsteoarthritisPain MeasurementSelf ReportAgedFemaleHumansMaleMental RecallMiddle AgedSurveys and Questionnairesclinical trials and methodsepidemiologyhandosteoarthritispain assessment and management

Identifiers

PMID39836613
PMCPMC12107033

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.