Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2011 Apr;50(4):709-13.
doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keq387. Epub 2010 Dec 2.

Comparison of measures of functional disability in patients with gout

Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of measures of functional disability in patients with gout

Peter M Ten Klooster et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2011 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the measurement properties of the HAQ disability index (HAQ-DI), HAQ-II and short form 36 physical functioning scale (PF-10) in patients with gout.

Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 97 patients with gout completed all three measures. Reliability was assessed by examining the internal consistency of the scales. Validity was assessed by testing for expected intercorrelations and associations with other aspects of health status and the ability to discriminate between patients with different levels of general health. Additionally, distributional properties were examined.

Results: All three measures demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α ≥ 0.93), strong intercorrelations (r ≥ 0.75), and the expected pattern of external correlations. The HAQ-DI and HAQ-II performed somewhat better in discriminating between patients. However, both demonstrated ceiling effects of 34.0 and 25.8%, respectively, compared with only 7.2% of the patients scoring no disability on the PF-10.

Conclusions: The HAQ-DI, HAQ-II and PF-10 demonstrated similar and adequate reliability and validity for measuring functional disability in patients with gout. The large ceiling effects of both HAQ versions, however, may point to limited content validity and responsiveness to change. Further research should examine whether current instruments cover all aspects of physical functioning relevant to patients with gout.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types