Quality indicators for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in Brazil

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory, and systemic condition of unknown etiology. The maintenance of RA under control requires a specific treatment with difficult clinical management, being imperative the rationalization of the use of the technologies and the qualification of the assistance given to the patients. The objective of this study was to develop and validate the content of quality indicators for the treatment of RA in Brazil, based on the recommendations of the Clinical Protocol and Therapeutic Guidelines (PCDT). This is a methodological research, carried out in two phases, development and validation, with rheumatologists. The quality indicators were developed based on PCDT for AR in Brazil, and validated using the Delphi method. The data analysis included the calculation of the mean scores assigned to each indicator and the confidence interval was 95%. 28 indicators were created, with the first phase of the validation (1st round) consensus in 33% (9/27) of the quality indicators. At the end, 61% (17/28) of the quality indicators were validated. It can be concluded that the Delphi consensus technique showed agreement among the participants and is an important tool in the validation and development process of indicators for RA, therefore, it should be a widespread information among health professionals.