Table 1 Baseline socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients in the nurse-led rheumatology clinic (NLC) and the rheumatologist-led clinic (RLC)
|  | NLC (n = 47) | RLC (n = 50) |
|---|---|---|
Age (years) | Â | Â |
 Mean | 55.0 (12.3) | 55.8 (13.2) |
 Range | 34–81 | 21–77 |
Sex | Â | Â |
 Female | 26 (55) | 28 (56) |
 Male | 21 (45) | 22 (44) |
Civil status | Â | Â |
 Co-habiting | 35 (74) | 39 (78) |
 Living alone | 12 (26) | 11 (22) |
Education | Â | Â |
 Compulsory comprehensive school | 15 (32) | 14 (28) |
 Upper secondary school | 15 (32) | 15 (30) |
 Undergraduate studies | 17 (36) | 21 (42) |
Rheumatic disease | Â | Â |
 Rheumatoid arthritis | 25 (53) | 35 (70) |
 Undifferentiated arthritis | 1 (2) | 3 (6) |
 Undifferentiated Spondyloarthritis | 10 (21) | 6 (12) |
 Peripheral Psoriatic arthritis | 11 (23) | 6 (12) |
Disease duration (years) | Â | Â |
 Mean | 17.3 (10.9) | 16.2 (12.1) |
 Range | 1–44 | 1–52 |
Disease activity (DAS28) | Â | Â |
 Mean | 1.97 (0.67) | 2.14 (0.71) |
 Range | 0.61–3.20 | 0.53–3.06 |
Activity limitation (HAQ) | Â | Â |
 Mean | 0.45 (0.42) | 0.63 (0.55) |
 Range | 0.00–2.13 | 0.00–2.50 |
Health related Quality of life (Eq5D) | Â | Â |
 Mean | 0.77 (0.15) | 0.73 (0.19) |
 Range | −0.01–1.00 | 0.09.1.00 |
Biologic therapies | Â | Â |
 Adalimumab | 7 (15) | 18 (36) |
 Etanercept | 13 (28) | 18 (36) |
 Infliximab | 27 (57) | 14 (28) |
Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) | Â | Â |
 Azathioprine | 3 (6) | 1 (2) |
 Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate | 0 (0) | 1 (2) |
 Methotrexate | 29 (62) | 27 (54) |
 Sulfasalazine | 0 (0) | 2 (4) |
 Methotrexate and Sulfasalazine | 0 (0) | 2 (4) |