title: Adaptation of the RAQoL for use in Australia.
abstract: Quality of life is an important patient-reported outcome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in addition to structural and functional outcomes. The RAQoL (Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life questionnaire) was developed in the UK and the Netherlands as a disease-specific tool. It was adapted for use in the Australian social context and the reliability and validity was tested. A lay panel assessed the UK version and adapted the wording for use within Australia. Reliability and validity were assessed by a postal survey of the RAQoL and comparator questionnaires to 100 patients with RA. The RAQoL was easily adapted into Australian-English. Test-retest reliability was high with a Spearman rank correlation coefficient of 0.93. RAQoL scores correlated well with patient-perceived disease activity and severity--indicating good validity. The Australian version of the RAQoL is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of quality of life. It is practical, easy to administer and has good potential for use in clinical settings and trials in Australia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, North Terrace, Adelaide, 5000, SA, Australia. sally.cox@flinders.edu.au
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McWilliams
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Massy-Westropp
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Meads
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Proudman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001315:Australia; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*