Conclusion Based on this literature review , the disease-specificHAQ and the generic SF-36 can currently be most confidently recommended to measure PF in RA for most research purpose s. The HAQ , however , was frequently associated with considerable ceiling effects while the SF-36 has limited content coverage .
Background The aim of this study was to systematic ally review the content validity and measurement properties of all physical function ( PF ) scales which are currently vali date d for use with patients with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) .
Responsiveness and validity in health status measurement: a clarification.
We present data from two studies which clarify the relationship between the responsiveness and validity of instruments design ed to measure health status in clinical trials . In a controlled trial of  long vs short duration adjuvant chemotherapy for women with Stage II breast cancer , the Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Question naire ( BCQ ) proved valid as a measure of subjective health status and was able to distinguish long vs short arms . Well vali date d measures of physical and emotional function developed by the R and Corporation were unable to distinguish between the two groups . The Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group Criteria ( ECOG ) distinguished the two groups , but failed criteria of clinical sensibility as a measure of subjective health status . In a study of patients with Crohn 's disease and ulcerative colitis , the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Question naire ( IBDQ ) showed small intrasubject variability over time . Gobal ratings of change showed moderate to high correlations with changes in IBDQ score , and patients who reported overall improvement or deterioration showed large changes in IBDQ score . Each of these findings support , in different ways , the reproducibility , validity , and responsiveness of the question naire . While the same data can at times bear on both validity and responsiveness , when assessing evaluative instruments it is useful to make a conceptual distinction between the two
Conclusion Based on this literature review , the disease-specificHAQ and the generic SF-36 can currently be most confidently recommended to measure PF in RA for most research purpose s. The HAQ , however , was frequently associated with considerable ceiling effects while the SF-36 has limited content coverage .
Background The aim of this study was to systematic ally review the content validity and measurement properties of all physical function ( PF ) scales which are currently vali date d for use with patients with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) .