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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Dec 11.
Published in final edited form as: Musculoskeletal Care. 2016 Dec 14;15(4):295–303. doi: 10.1002/msc.1173

TABLE 2.

Methodological approaches of studies on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient goals involving RA treatment

Citation Setting Sample Mean disease
duration, years		 Data collection
methods		 Analytic strategy
Ahlmen et al., 2005 4 Swedish academically
  affiliated rheumatology
  clinics		 25 RA patients 14 (range: 3–44) 4 focus groups;
  recording and
  transcription		 Inductive thematic
  analysis
Bergsten et al., 2011 Swedish rheumatology
  hospital		 16 RA patients, 14 (range: 2–42) Exploratory
  interviews		 Grounded theory
Bernatsky et al., 2010 Canadian regional public
  health system
  w./academic affiliation		 18 RA patients;
  13 family physicians;
  14 rheumatologists;
  14 therapists;
  9 decision makers;
  4 nurses		 15 focus groups Qualitative content
  analysis
Buitinga et al., 2012 Dutch hospital outpatient
  rheumatology clinic		 16 RA patients 12.9a (range:
  1–39)		 3 focus groups;
  semi-structured
  guide; recording
  and transcription		 Qualitative coding
  according to
  ICF domains
Carr et al., 2003 5 British clinical centres
  in urban areas		 39 RA patients 12a (range:
  2–26)		 5 focus groups Interpretative
  phenomenological
  analysis
Funahashi & Matsubara, 2012 Japanese outpatient
  rheumatology clinic		 165 RA patients,
  treated with
  DMARDS		 Survey using measures
  designed to assess
  expectations and
  satisfaction with
  treatment		 Frequency
  calculation and
  chi-square test
Heiberg & Kvien, 2002 Norwegian county-based
  patient register		 1,024 RA patients 12.7 (SD 11.1) Survey using measures
  from Arthritis Impact
  Measurement Scales 2,
  Modified Health
  Assessment
  Questionnaire and
  visual analogue scale
  for pain and fatigue		 Distribution
  calculations;
  2-sample t-tests;
  chi-square tests;
  logistic regression
  analyses
Hewlett et al., 2005 3 British rheumatology
  centres in urban areas		 323 RA patients 13.7 (SD 11.1) Survey with ranking
  questions		 Factor analysis
Hofmann et al., 2015 Outpatient clinic in
  South-East England		 1st phase:
  17 RA patients;
  2nd phase:
  22 RA patients		 Phase 1 sample:
  11 (range:
  3–44); phase
  2 sample: N/A		 1st phase: 3 focus groups;
  2nd phase: qualitative
  feedback on draft
  questionnaire		 Thematic content
  analysis
Ishikawa et al., 2006 Japanese rheumatology
  clinic, academic
  affiliation in urban area		 115 RA patients 13.3 (SD 9.4) Questionnaire completed
  post-clinical encounter		 Regression
  analyses
Jacobi et al., 2004 Dutch tertiary and
  secondary outpatient
  rheumatology clinics
  register		 683 RA patients 10.7 (range:
  1.5–57.8)		 Survey with ranking
  questions (quote-questionnaire
  method)		 Regression
  analyses
Kristiansen et al., 2012a 2 Danish hospitals 11 RA patients 5.9 (range:
  0.2–27)		 2 focus groups Qualitative content
  analysis
Kristiansen et al., 2012b 2 Danish hospital
  outpatient clinics		 32 RA patients
  purposively
  sampled		 5.9 (range:
  0.27–27)		 6 focus groups Qualitative content
  analysis
Radford et al., 2008 British rheumatology
  nurse specialist clinic		 11 RA patients,
  purposively
  sampled		 11.1a (range:
  0.4–30)		 2 focus groups Qualitative content
  analysis
Robinson & Walker, 2012 British National Health
  Service outpatient
  departments		 100 RA patients 15.6 (range:
  1–38)		 Structured interviews Descriptive
  statistics
Salt & Peden, 2011 US rheumatology clinic,
  academic affiliation		 30 female RA
  patients,
  purposively
  sampled		 Semi-structured
  interviews		 Grounded theory
Sanderson et al., 2010a Outpatient department
  at academically
  affiliated British
  hospital		 23 RA patients 17.7 (range:
  3–40)		 In-depth interviews Grounded theory
Sanderson et al., 2010b 3 British outpatient
  rheumatology
  departments; British
  database of anti-
  tumour necrosis factor
  therapy patients;
  British psychological
  support database;
  British national RA
  foundation
  membership registry		 1st phase: 26 RA
  patients, purposively
  sampled; 2nd phase:
  254 RA patients		 1st phase: 5 nominal
  groups with discussion
2nd phase:
  mailed surveys		 1st phase: qualitative
  analysis
2nd phase:
  Cronbach’s alpha
  coefficient
  calculation;
  principal
  component
  analysis;
  chi-square tests
ten Klooster et al., 2007 Dutch register of RA
  patients on a
  specific therapy		 173 RA patients 9.9 95% CI Survey assessment
  of health status
  with the Arthritis
  Impact Measurement
  Scales 2 at baseline,
  and 3 and 12 months		 Descriptive
  statistics;
  paired 2-tailed
  t-tests with
  Bonferroni
  correction;
  McNemar’s tests
van Tuyl et al., 2015 British medical centre;
  Dutch medical centre;
  Austrian medical
  centre		 47 RA patients 8, 9b (range:1–
  40)		 9 focus groups Inductive thematic
  analysis
Ward et al., 2007 Outpatient department
  at a British teaching
  hospital		 25 RA patients 13 (range: 2–32) Structured interviews Atheoretical
  content analysis
Wen et al., 2012 4 Chinese medical
  centres; 1 Japanese
  medical centre; 1 US
  medical centre		 270 RA patients;
  111 physicians		 Comparison of listed
  clinic visit priorities
  among RA patients
  and physicians		 Descriptive statistics;
  KJ-method analysis
  of free descriptions;
  analyses of agreement
a

Calculated by A.S. from published data.

b

A mean of 8 years was reported in Table 1, a mean of 9 years was cited in the text.

CI, confidence interval; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; ICF, International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health; SD, standard deviation.