In May of 2016, the biennial Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Conference took place in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. OMERACT is an international network of health professionals focused on outcome measurement across randomized controlled trials and longitudinal observational studies. The objective of OMERACT is to improve outcome measures through a data-driven, iterative consensus process. At OMERACT’s biennial international meetings, participants gather in a collegial interactive environment to develop core sets of patient-important outcomes for clinical studies in rheumatology.
OMERACT has published over 1000 peer-reviewed articles. It has 42 active working groups (Table 1). The number grows with every meeting, demonstrating the continuing need for this work.
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OMERACT has published 10 core outcome sets [ankylosing spondylitis, fibromyalgia, gout (acute and chronic), systemic lupus erythematosus, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), vasculitis] — the evidence is accumulating that their uptake in published clinical trials is increasing, for example, the RA Core Set is now used in over 80% of published RA trials (www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2262).
The 2016 Whistler meeting was a success, with nearly 200 participants intensively participating in 5 workshops: Flare in RA, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, PsA, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody Vasculitis, Shared Decision Making, and 16 Special Interest Groups on the program. These consisted of a variety of short presentations and small group discussions, while maintaining the ambiance of a true multidisciplinary, collaborative, friendly yet rigorous process of outcome measure development. Patient contribution continues to play a fundamental part in the OMERACT process; it not only improves the results of OMERACT research, but also gives a new perspective that is clinically relevant to the topic being researched. OMERACT 2016 hosted …