Do it fast! Early access to specialized care improved long-term outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: data from the REAL multicenter observational study

Table 3 Missed opportunities for early RA treatment according to access to the rheumatologist in the diagnostic journey

Considered window for early RA treatment (thresholds)	Position of the rheumatologist in the sequence of attending physicians *		Chances of missing the window of opportunity with belated assessment OR [95% CI] **
Considered window for early RA treatment (thresholds)	1st or 2nd (N = 665)	3rd or later (N = 279)
12 months	42.7% (n = 284)	60.6% (n = 169)	2.06 [1.55, 2.74]
6 months	65.9% (n = 438)	84.2% (n = 235)	2.77 [1.93, 3.97]
3 months	84.2% (n = 560)	93.2% (n = 260)	2.57 [1.54, 4.27]

RA: rheumatoid arthritis; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence intervals. * The values in the cells represent the relative and absolute frequencies of patients who missed the opportunity for early RA treatment within the considered windows (thresholds). ** Odds ratios for missing the opportunity of early RA treatment when the consultation by the rheumatologist was belated (position 3rd or later) compared to early consultation (positions 1st or 2nd ); all differences were significant at p < 0.001, on Pearson’s chi-squared test.

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