Rheumatology 1999; 38: 870-877
© 1999 British Society for Rheumatology
Generic and condition-specific outcome measures for people with osteoarthritis of the knee
School for Health and Related Research and
1 Institute for Bone and Joint Medicine, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Correspondence to:
J. Brazier, School for Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Regent Court, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield S1 4DA, UK.
Objectives. The aims of this study were to evaluate two condition-specific and two generic health status questionnaires for measuring health-related quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, and to offer guidance to clinicians and researchers in choosing between them.
Methods. Patients were recruited from two settings: 118 from knee surgery waiting lists and 112 from rheumatology clinics. Four self-completion questionnaires [Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Euroqol] were sent to subjects on two occasions 6 months apart. Construct validity, convergent validity, internal consistency and responsiveness were examined using primarily non-parametric methods.
Results. All instruments proved satisfactory in terms of ease of use, acceptability to patients, internal consistency and reliability. In the surgical group, the OA-specific WOMAC performed better than the HAQ and the generic measures in terms of validity and responsiveness to change, whereas in the rheumatology group the SF-36 was more responsive.
Conclusion. WOMAC is the instrument of choice for evaluating the outcome of knee replacement surgery in OA. The SF-36 provides a more general insight into patients' health and may be more responsive to change than the WOMAC in a heterogeneous rheumatology clinic population. Researchers wishing to undertake an economic evaluation might consider the EQ-5D for a surgical, but not a rheumatology clinic group.
KEY WORDS: Osteoarthritis, Knee, Health-related quality of life, Outcomes.
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
D. C. ANG, N. TAHIR, H. HANIF, Y. TONG, and S. A. IBRAHIM African Americans and Whites Are Equally Appropriate to be Considered for Total Joint Arthroplasty J Rheumatol, September 1, 2009; 36(9): 1971 - 1976. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. R. Barton, J. Hodgekins, M. Mugford, P. B. Jones, T. Croudace, and D. Fowler Measuring the benefits of treatment for psychosis: validity and responsiveness of the EQ-5D The British Journal of Psychiatry, August 1, 2009; 195(2): 170 - 177. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. M Webb, X. Badia, and Nuria Lara Surinach for the Spanish AcroQoL Study Validity and clinical applicability of the acromegaly quality of life questionnaire, AcroQoL: a 6-month prospective study. Eur. J. Endocrinol., August 1, 2006; 155(2): 269 - 277. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. M. Woolhead, J. L. Donovan, and P. A. Dieppe Outcomes of total knee replacement: a qualitative study Rheumatology, August 1, 2005; 44(8): 1032 - 1037. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. Rinaldi, A. Doria, F. Salaffi, M. Ermani, L. Iaccarino, A. Ghirardello, S. Zampieri, P. Sarzi-Puttini, P. F. Gambari, and G. Perini Health-related quality of life in Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. I. Relationship between physical and mental dimension and impact of age Rheumatology, December 1, 2004; 43(12): 1574 - 1579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M Reijman, J M W Hazes, H A P Pols, R M D Bernsen, B W Koes, and S M A Bierma-Zeinstra Validity and reliability of three definitions of hip osteoarthritis: cross sectional and longitudinal approach Ann Rheum Dis, November 1, 2004; 63(11): 1427 - 1433. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. M. Garratt, S. Brealey, W. J. Gillespie, and in collaboration with the DAMASK Trial Team Patient-assessed health instruments for the knee: a structured review Rheumatology, November 1, 2004; 43(11): 1414 - 1423. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. J. McCarthy, P. M. Mills, R. Pullen, C. Roberts, A. Silman, and J. A. Oldham Supplementing a home exercise programme with a class-based exercise programme is more effective than home exercise alone in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis Rheumatology, July 1, 2004; 43(7): 880 - 886. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P Ravaud, B Giraudeau, I Logeart, J S Larguier, D Rolland, R Treves, L Euller-Ziegler, B Bannwarth, and M Dougados Management of osteoarthritis (OA) with an unsupervised home based exercise programme and/or patient administered assessment tools. A cluster randomised controlled trial with a 2x2 factorial design Ann Rheum Dis, June 1, 2004; 63(6): 703 - 708. [Abstract] [Full Text] |
||||
![]() |
C Jinks, M Lewis, and P Croft Health status after hip or knee arthroplasty Ann Rheum Dis, August 1, 2003; 62(8): 700 - 701. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. C Goodwin, M. C Morrissey, R. Z Omar, M. Brown, K. Southall, and T. B McAuliffe Effectiveness of Supervised Physical Therapy in the Early Period After Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy Physical Therapy, June 1, 2003; 83(6): 520 - 535. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. P. Case, A. J. Baliunas, and J. A. Block Lack of Efficacy of Acetaminophen in Treating Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Comparison Trial With Diclofenac Sodium Arch Intern Med, January 27, 2003; 163(2): 169 - 178. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
F Angst, A Aeschlimann, W Steiner, and G Stucki Responsiveness of the WOMAC osteoarthritis index as compared with the SF-36 in patients with osteoarthritis of the legs undergoing a comprehensive rehabilitation intervention Ann Rheum Dis, September 1, 2001; 60(9): 834 - 840. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. Jinks, M. Lewis, B. N. Ong, and P. Croft A brief screening tool for knee pain in primary care. 1. Validity and reliability Rheumatology, May 1, 2001; 40(5): 528 - 536. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||






