Revision of HIV center medical staging scale.
HIV-related symptomatology represents both an indirect measure of immune functioning and a clinically significant indicator of disease progression. The most widely used classification system for HIV-related symptomatology is the Center for Disease Control (CDC) system. Although the CDC scale has widely recognized clinical utility, it provides only nominal-level measurement, which may be problematic for both clinicians and researchers. This article describes the revision and validation of the HIV Center Medical Staging Scale (rHCMSS), and ordinal-level physical illness scale that provides a means of independently measuring the progression of HIV-disease symptomatology and immunological decline. Concurrent use of the rHCMSS, the CDC classification system, and T-lymphocyte and viral load data will provide a more comprehensive indication of HIV-disease progression for clinical and research purposes.
McCain
N L
NL
School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298, USA. nmccain@hsc.vcu.edu
Lyon
D E
DE
Higginson
R
R
Settle
J
J
Robins
J L
JL
Fisher
E J
EJ
D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000145:classification* / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States