# Presentation: 461060

## Report on Joint UNECE/WHO/Eurostat Task Force on Measurement of Health Status

- Jennifer H. Madans
- U.S.A.

## First Meeting: 24-26 May 2004, Geneva Switzerland

- Recommendation:
- Establish a Steering Group and a Working Group
- 	The Working Group will work toward the development of a new common instrument and will coordinate with existing groups such as the Eurostat Group on HIS and the Washington Group.

## Terms of Reference for the Task Force

- To review the basic principles broadly agreed to at the May meeting and in particular:
- To agree on a common basic terminology
- To consider how to approach the use of the ICF as the framework for question development

**Notes:**
There is not always an easy correspondence between the ICF and measurement instruments the TF should give some thought on how to operationalize the ICF in the context of measuring health status in a short module including clarifying the best way to find a common ground between the needs of classification and those of measurement and where it is not possible to find such a common ground. 

There is not always an easy correspondence between the ICF and measurement instruments the TF should give some thought on how to operationalize the ICF in the context of measuring health status in a short module including clarifying the best way to find a common ground between the needs of classification and those of measurement and where it is not possible to find such a common ground. 

## Terms of Reference for the Task Force

- To determine the criteria for selecting health domains.
- To select the domains based on criteria elaborated and provide solid explanations
- To identify a draft set of questions to cover the selected domains to be discussed at the Meeting in 2005
- To conduct statistical, cognitive and field testing of the set of questions to be agreed at the Meeting in 2005

**Notes:**
Some criteria were identified at the May meeting and the TF is invited to elaborate more on the importance of the criteria and implications and to modify the list as needed.

## Current Activities

- 	Develop two papers that address aspects of the terms of reference and present the papers for discussion at the next meeting of the Task Force

## Paper 1: Health as a Multidimensional Construct and Cross-Population Comparability

- Distinction between health status and health state
- Multi-dimensional approach to health state description
- ICF as the framework for measuring health status
- What is it that should be measured for a given health state?
- Distinguishing health states from determinants and consequences
- Health states are attributes of individuals
- Comparability of measurement for health states
- Development of criteria for the selection of domain

## Paper 2: Identification of Domains and the Development of Questions

- Physical functioning - mobility
- Physical functioning - dexterity
- Vitality/Fatigue
- Affect
- Anxiety
- Vision
- Hearing
- Pain and Discomfort
- Cognition
- Memory and concentration
- Thinking and problem solving
- Social relationships and functioning including communication

## Next meeting

- 	Meeting in Budapest, Hungary
- 	Nov. 14-16, 2005