Remote Administration of Physical and Cognitive Performance Assessments in a Predominantly Black Cohort of Persons With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective In a study of physical and cognitive functioning among predominantly Black individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we compared remotely administered physical and cognitive performance assessments to those collected in person. Methods A subset of participants who completed an in‐person visit in our parent study from 2021 to 2022 (n = 30) were recruited to complete a second, remote visit within 28 days. Physical performance (measured by a modified Short Physical Performance Battery [SPPB]; range 0‐12; subscale ranges 0‐4; higher = better performance) and cognitive performance (episodic and working memory adjusted t‐scores, measured using NIH Toolbox) were measured at both visits. Mean scores were compared using paired t‐tests; intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were obtained from two‐way mixed effects models. Linear and logistic models were used to estimate stratified associations between performance measures and related outcomes. Results Participants were primarily female (93.3%) and Black (93.3%). In‐person versus remote overall SPPB (8.76 vs. 9.43) and chair stand (1.43 vs. 1.90) scores were statistically significantly lower. t‐Scores for episodic memory (47.27 vs. 49.53) and working memory (45.37 vs. 47.90) were lower for in‐person versus remote visits. The ICC for overall SPPB indicated good agreement (0.76), whereas the ICCs for episodic (0.49) and working memory (0.57) indicated poor‐moderate agreement. Associations between assessments of performance with related outcomes were similar and did not statistically significantly differ by modality of visit. Conclusion To possibly expand and diversify pools of participants in studies of physical and cognitive performance in SLE, remote administration of assessments should be considered for future research.