RA App Overestimates Active Disease

Self-reported joint counts showed modest agreement with physician assessments and tended to overestimate active disease in a community-based study

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A smartphone app for joint self-assessment in rheumatoid arthritis overestimates active disease compared to physician evaluations.
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Patient-reported joint counts showed better accuracy for confirming low disease activity or remission than for identifying active disease.
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The app demonstrated a 95% positive predictive value for low disease activity but only a 50% negative predictive value for active disease.
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Patients reported significantly higher counts of tender and swollen joints than physicians, indicating modest agreement between assessments.
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Factors like comorbid conditions and app training limitations may contribute to discrepancies between patient and physician joint counts.

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