Table 3.

Hierarchy for selection of an evaluation visit in case multiple visits were available within the time period of interest

Priority	Criteria
1	Select the visit with the highest completeness of the outcome measures included (ie, swollen 28 joint count, tender 28 joint count, C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, patient global health on a Visual Analogue Scale).
2	Select the visit closest to the time point of interest by calculating the absolute difference between the visit and the target number of days (3 months: 90 days, 6 months: 180 days, 1 year: 365 days) For baseline visits, visits occurring before the start of treatment are prioritised.
3	In case a patient stops treatment within the given time interval, select only visits that actually occur during treatment. Thus, visits at a given time point are only available if the patient is still on treatment within the time-window for data-capture of that time point.