title: Concordance between clinician and patient assessment of physical and mental health status.
abstract: The degree of concordance between clinicians' and patients' assessment of the patient's physical and mental functioning was examined in 166 consecutive eligible outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using 4-category ordinal scales. The weighted kappa statistic was 0.39 for physical functioning and 0.30 for mental functioning, both indicating a fair degree of concordance. This disagreement differed in magnitude and direction depending on the level of disability present. We conclude that clinicians and their patients with RA often disagree in their assessment of the degree of physical and mental impairment that the patient experiences. These disagreements demonstrate the need for formal assessments of outcome and should be recognized and resolved when managing individual patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Hanover, NH.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Kwoh
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Regan-Smith
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Olmstead
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Burnett
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Hochman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires