26rhk072 10.3205/26rhk072 urn:nbn:de:0183-26rhk0721 Meeting Abstract Contextual factors used for statistical adjustment in longitudinal observational studies in rheumatoid arthritis: A scoping review from the OMERACT Contextual Factors Working Group Weinbrecht-Mischkewitz Weinbrecht-Mischkewitz Max M
Department of Pediatrics, Medical University Lausitz – Carl Thiem, Cottbus, Deutschland Epidemiology and Health Services Research, Berlin, Deutschland Section for Biostatistics and Evidence-Based Research, the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Dänemark
author Cashin Cashin Aidan G. AG
Centre for Pain IMPACT, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
author Sharma Sharma Saurab S
Pain Management Research Institute, Kolling Institute, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Centre for Pain IMPACT, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, Australia Pain Management and Research Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Northern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia
author Haugegaard Haugegaard Tobias T
Research Unit of Rheumatology, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Dänemark Section for Biostatistics and Evidence-Based Research, the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Dänemark
author Nielsen Nielsen Wils W
University of Toronto Lupus Clinic, Centre for Prognosis Studies in Rheumatic Diseases, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Schroeder Arthritis Institute, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
author Kamal Kamal Midhat M
MS Delta Family Medicine Residency, Greenville, USA Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Section for Biostatistics and Evidence-Based Research, the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Dänemark
author Khan Khan Areeba M. AM
Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan Section for Biostatistics and Evidence-Based Research, the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Dänemark
author Asim Asim Farwa F
Department of Internal Medicine, Piedmont Hospital, Macon, USA Section for Biostatistics and Evidence-Based Research, the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Dänemark
author Lopez-Olivo Lopez-Olivo Maria A. MA
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
author Carmona Carmona Loreto L
Instituto de Salud Musculoesquelética, Madrid, Spain
author Jones Jones Allyson A
Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
author Singh Singh Jasvinder A. JA
Medicine Service, VA Medical Center, Birmingham, USA Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
author Woodworth Woodworth Thasia T
Division of Rheumatology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
author Furst Furst Daniel E. DE
Division of Rheumatology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA University of Florence, Florence, USA Division of Rheumatology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
author Escorpizo Escorpizo Reuben R
Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, USA
author Gill Gill Mike M
OMERACT Patient Research Partner, Founder Dragon Claw Charity Ltd, Annandale, Australia
author Goel Goel Niti N
OMERACT Patient Research Partner, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, USA
author Suarez-Almazor Suarez-Almazor Maria E. ME
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
author March March Lyn L
Florance and Cope Professorial Department of Rheumatology, Royal North Shore Hospital and Kolling Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
author Tugwell Tugwell Peter P
Department of Medicine and School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
author Alten Alten Rieke R
Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology and Osteology, Schlosspark-Klinik University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Deutschland
author Christensen Christensen Robin R
Research Unit of Rheumatology, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Dänemark Section for Biostatistics and Evidence-Based Research, the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Dänemark
author Nielsen Nielsen Sabrina M. SM
Section for Biostatistics and Evidence-Based Research, the Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen, Dänemark
author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House
Düsseldorf
 610 20260909 engl This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). M0656 072 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädische Rheumatologie Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendrheumatologie 54. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie und Klinische Immunologie (DGRh), 36. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendrheumatologie (GKJR), 40. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Orthopädische Rheumatologie (DGORh) Deutscher Rheumatologiekongress 2026 Epidemiologie & Versorgungsforschung Leipzig 20260909 20260912 EV.23 TextIntroduction: The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) initiative defines a Contextual Factor (CF) as a “variable that is not an outcome of the study but needs to be recognized (and measured) to understand the study results” . Building on this definition, the OMERACT Contextual Factors Working Group (CFWG) further characterised Outcome Influencing Contextual Factors (OI-CFs) as prognostic factors. Thus, OI-CFs are potential confounders that are relevant to adjust for in longitudinal observational studies (LOS) . We conducted a scoping review of baseline variables most frequently adjusted for in LOS of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which represent potential OI-CFs.Methods: A protocol was preregistered online . This study was based on the LOS in RA included in a previous systematic review by Lopez-Olivo et al. . Eligible studies for this scoping review investigated the association between any exposures/interventions and clinical or patient-centred outcomes. Two independent reviewers screened the publications, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. Data extraction was performed by one reviewer and verified by a second reviewer. A third reviewer reconciled any discrepancies. We extracted study characteristics, and all baseline variables reported to be adjusted for in the analyses. These were subsequently categorised into domains and synthesised using descriptive statistics.Results: A total of 1,623 publications were screened, of which 276 met the inclusion criteria. These studies enrolled a median of 1,141 participants (interquartile range 546–2,659). Most studies investigated pharmacological interventions (155 studies [56.2%]). The most frequently reported outcomes were related to disease activity (111 studies [40.2%]) (Table 1 ). Overall, the baseline variables most frequently adjusted for were sex/gender (192 [70%]), age (189 [68%]), treatment history/status (139 [50%]), disease activity (118 [43%]), and laboratory-based domains (116 [42%]) (Figure 1 ). Overall, 16% (43/276) of the studies did not report any factors used for adjustment.Conclusion: The baseline variables adjusted for in RA LOS varied considerably across the studies. Only a few factors – age, sex/gender, and treatment history/status – were reported to have been adjusted for in at least half of the studies. The collected domains may be candidates for a generic set of potentially important OI-CFs for future research.Disclosures: The authors have no conflicts of interest. Boers M Kirwan JR Wells G Beaton D Gossec L d'Agostino MA Conaghan PG Bingham CO 3rd Brooks P Landewé R March L Simon LS Singh JA Strand V Tugwell P Developing core outcome measurement sets for clinical trials: OMERACT filter 2.0 2014 J Clin Epidemiol 745-53 Boers M, Kirwan JR, Wells G, Beaton D, Gossec L, d'Agostino MA, Conaghan PG, Bingham CO 3rd, Brooks P, Landewé R, March L, Simon LS, Singh JA, Strand V, Tugwell P. Developing core outcome measurement sets for clinical trials: OMERACT filter 2.0. J Clin Epidemiol. 2014 Jul;67(7):745-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.11.013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.11.013 Nielsen SM Boers M de Wit M Shea B van der Windt DA Reeves BC Beaton D Alten R Toupin April K Boonen A Escorpizo R Flurey C Furst DE Guillemin F Leong A Pohl C Rasmussen MU Singh JA Smolen JS Strand V Verstappen SMM Voshaar M Woodworth TG Ellingsen T March L Wells GA Tugwell P Christensen R OMERACT consensus-based operational definition of contextual factors in rheumatology clinical trials: A mixed methods study 2021 Semin Arthritis Rheum 601-606 Nielsen SM, Boers M, de Wit M, Shea B, van der Windt DA, Reeves BC, Beaton D, Alten R, Toupin April K, Boonen A, Escorpizo R, Flurey C, Furst DE, Guillemin F, Leong A, Pohl C, Rasmussen MU, Singh JA, Smolen JS, Strand V, Verstappen SMM, Voshaar M, Woodworth TG, Ellingsen T, March L, Wells GA, Tugwell P, Christensen R. OMERACT consensus-based operational definition of contextual factors in rheumatology clinical trials: A mixed methods study. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2021 Jun;51(3):601-606. DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2021.03.013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2021.03.013 Mischkewitz M 2022 Outcome Influencing Contextual Factors in Rheumatoid Arthritis: a Scoping Review Mischkewitz M. Outcome Influencing Contextual Factors in Rheumatoid Arthritis: a Scoping Review. OSF; 2022. Lopez-Olivo MA Zogala RJ des Bordes J Zamora NV Christensen R Rai D Goel N Carmona L Pratt G Strand V Suarez-Almazor ME Outcomes Reported in Prospective Long-Term Observational Studies and Registries of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Worldwide: An Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Systematic Review 2021 Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 649-657 Lopez-Olivo MA, Zogala RJ, des Bordes J, Zamora NV, Christensen R, Rai D, Goel N, Carmona L, Pratt G, Strand V, Suarez-Almazor ME. Outcomes Reported in Prospective Long-Term Observational Studies and Registries of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Worldwide: An Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Systematic Review. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2021 May;73(5):649-657. DOI: 10.1002/acr.24163 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acr.24163 11
Table 1: Study characteristics.
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1 1 Figure 1: Domains of baseline variables most frequently adjusted for. Values are absolute numbers and percentages across all included studies.
1 0 0