title: Further development of a physical function scale on a MDHAQ [corrected] for standard care of patients with rheumatic diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze a further version of the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ) with 10 activities of daily living (ADL), which is more easily completed by patients and scored by health professionals than a 14-ADL MDHAQ; and to determine if the 10-ADL MDHAQ would be as informative as the 14-ADL MDHAQ, the 20-ADL HAQ, and the 8-ADL modified HAQ (MHAQ), which is more easily reviewed and scored than the HAQ, but scores are routinely 0.3-0.5 units lower than HAQ scores.
  
  
  METHODS
  In standard care, 144 consecutive patients completed a HAQ, which includes a MHAQ, and 14-ADL MDHAQ, which includes a 10-ADL MDHAQ subscale, all scored 0-3. These scales were analyzed for mean and median scores, Cronbach's alpha to estimate internal consistency, factor analysis to estimate construct validity, and cumulative percentile scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (median) scores for the HAQ, MHAQ, 14-ADL MDHAQ, and 10-ADL MDHAQ physical function scales were 0.80 (0.75), 0.48 (0.38), 0.83 (0.79), and 0.73 (0.70), respectively. Internal consistency of each scale was very good. The lowest 25 percentile score was 0.16 on the HAQ, 0.0 on the MHAQ, 0.36 on the 14-ADL MDHAQ, and 0.20 on the 10-ADL MDHAQ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MDHAQ physical function scale of 10 ADL is more easily completed and scored than the 14-ADL MDHAQ or 20-ADL HAQ, while providing similar information.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. t.pincus@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pincus
authors.forename: Tuulikki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sokka
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kautiainen
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*