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Evidence‐based recommendations for the monitoring and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: results from the Australian 3E initiative in rheumatology
Author(s) -
KAIN Tracey,
ZOCHLING Jane,
TAYLOR Andrew,
MANOLIOS Nicholas,
SMITH Malcolm D.,
REED Mark D.,
BROWN Matthew A.,
SCHACHNA Lionel
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of rheumatic diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1756-185X
pISSN - 1756-1841
DOI - 10.1111/j.1756-185x.2008.00329.x
Subject(s) - medicine , ankylosing spondylitis , delphi method , systematic review , expert opinion , evidence based medicine , delphi , alternative medicine , evidence based practice , medline , voting , set (abstract data type) , physical therapy , family medicine , intensive care medicine , pathology , artificial intelligence , politics , computer science , political science , law , operating system , programming language
Aim: To develop a set of Australian recommendations for the monitoring and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through systematic literature review combined with the opinion of practicing rheumatologists. Methods: A set of eight questions, four in each domain of monitoring and treatment, were formulated by voting and the Delphi method. The results of a systematic literature review addressing each question were presented to the 23 participants of the Australian 3E meeting. All participants were clinical rheumatologists experienced in the daily management of AS. Results: After three rounds of breakout sessions to discuss the findings of the literature review, a set of recommendations was finalized after discussion and voting. The category of evidence and strength of recommendation were determined for each proposal. The level of agreement among participants was excellent (mean 84%, range 64–100%). Conclusions: The 12 recommendations developed from evidence and expert opinion provide guidance for the daily management of AS patients. For most recommendations, we found a paucity of supportive evidence in the literature highlighting the need for additional clinical studies.