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Rheumatology Advance Access originally published online on June 9, 2009
Rheumatology 2009 48(8):958-963; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kep135
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Development of a digital Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire for systematic monitoring of disease activity in daily practice

Lianne M. Geerdink1, Femke H. M. Prince1, Caspar W. N. Looman2 and Lisette W. A. van Suijlekom-Smit1

1Department of Paediatrics/Paediatric Rheumatology, Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital and 2Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Correspondence to: Femke H. M. Prince, Department of Paediatrics/Paediatric Rheumatology, Sp 1546, Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital, PO Box 2060, 3000 CB Rotterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: f.prince{at}erasmusmc.nl


  Abstract

Objective. To develop a reliable and user-friendly digital Childhood HAQ (CHAQ) to facilitate systematic monitoring of disease activity at the outpatient clinic in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients.

Methods. The digital CHAQ was tested with patients who visited the outpatient paediatric rheumatology clinic of the Erasmus MC Sophia Children's Hospital. These patients completed in a randomized order the paper form and digital CHAQ while being observed. Validity was tested by comparing outcomes with the paper form CHAQ. User-friendliness was evaluated through a short questionnaire.

Results. A digital CHAQ was developed and revised several times according to our observations. Outcome is automatically calculated and can be printed. Fifty-one patients completed both the digital and paper form CHAQ. Correlation coefficient between both outcomes of the CHAQ Disability Index was 0.974. No statistically significantly differences in median outcome were found in visual analogue scale (VAS) pain (25.6 vs 25.9 mm) and VAS well-being (20.1 vs 19.5 mm). Although the mean time (5.06 min) to complete the digital CHAQ was significantly longer than the mean time (3.75 min) to complete the paper form, the majority of patients (75%) preferred the digital version. User-friendliness received maximum positive score.

Conclusion. We developed a reliable and user-friendly digital CHAQ, which can be easily and systematically completed during routine clinic visits. Such digitalization of questionnaires can be applied in any field to make systematic monitoring of disease activity in daily practice possible.

KEY WORDS: Health-related quality of life, Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire, Digitalization, Systematic monitoring, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Submitted 2 October 2008; revised version accepted 22 April 2009.
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