The  Childhood Health Assessment Question naire ( C-HAQ )  was the most extensively studied instrument and had high reliability , but only moderate correlations with other indices of disease activity and poor responsiveness to change in disease status .
The physician global assessment of disease activity ( PGA ) and articular indices had the strongest association with disease activity and were the most responsive to change .
Measures of psychosocial function and quality of life were moderately associated with measures of disease activity , but were less responsive to changes in disease status .
In children with JIA , no single instrument was superior in reliability or validity or in describing the impact of JIA .
Although the C-HAQ has been extensively evaluated , the PGA and articular indices appear to have the highest responsiveness to change and , therefore , the highest potential for detecting important differences in treatment response
OBJECTIVE To review the performance characteristics of the instruments most commonly used to measure clinical outcomes in juvenile idiopathic arthritis ( JIA ) , including global assessment s , articular indices , functional/disability assessment s , and quality of life measures .
METHODS As part of an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality comparative effectiveness review of antirheumatic drugs , we explored the characteristics of commonly used outcome measures for JIA .
Preliminary criteria for clinical remission for select categories of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
OBJECTIVE To develop preliminary criteria for inactive disease and clinical remission for select categories of juvenile idiopathic arthritis ( JIA ) , and to decide what such clinical states should predict in terms of probability of disease recurrence . METHODS A Delphi serial question naire consensus-formation approach was used initially to gather criteria in use by pediatric rheumatologists ( PR ) for defining clinical remission in oligoarticular ( persistent and extended ) , rheumatoid factor ( RF ) positive and negative polyarticular , and systemic JIA . Results from sequential question naires provided an agenda for a nominal group technique ( NGT ) conference to reach consensus on unresolved questions . RESULTS One hundred and thirty PR from 34 countries responded to the question naires and 20 PR from 9 countries attended the conference . Draft criteria for inactive disease include the following : no active arthritis ; no fever , rash , serositis , splenomegaly , or generalized lymphadenopathy attributable to JIA ; no active uveitis ; normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein ; and a physician 's global assessment of disease activity rated at the best score possible for the instrument used . According to consensus vote , 6 continuous months of inactive disease on medication defines clinical remission on medication , while 12 months of inactive disease off all anti-arthritis ( and anti-uveitis ) medications defines clinical remission off medication . The finalized criteria for remission off medication ideally should predict that a patient has < /= 20 % probability of disease recurrence within the next 5 years . CONCLUSION Using consensus formation techniques , we formulated preliminary criteria for inactive disease and clinical remission on and off medication for use in select categories of JIA . Retrospective validation is in progress ; prospect i ve validation will follow . Future efforts will include other categories of JIA
The  Childhood Health Assessment Question naire ( C-HAQ )  was the most extensively studied instrument and had high reliability , but only moderate correlations with other indices of disease activity and poor responsiveness to change in disease status .
The physician global assessment of disease activity ( PGA ) and articular indices had the strongest association with disease activity and were the most responsive to change .
Measures of psychosocial function and quality of life were moderately associated with measures of disease activity , but were less responsive to changes in disease status .
In children with JIA , no single instrument was superior in reliability or validity or in describing the impact of JIA .
Although the C-HAQ has been extensively evaluated , the PGA and articular indices appear to have the highest responsiveness to change and , therefore , the highest potential for detecting important differences in treatment response
OBJECTIVE To review the performance characteristics of the instruments most commonly used to measure clinical outcomes in juvenile idiopathic arthritis ( JIA ) , including global assessment s , articular indices , functional/disability assessment s , and quality of life measures .
METHODS As part of an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality comparative effectiveness review of antirheumatic drugs , we explored the characteristics of commonly used outcome measures for JIA .