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Book Review

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Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires

Author:

Ian McDowell and Claire Newell

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Publication Date:

1996

Edition:

Second

Binding:

Hardcover

Category:

Non-disease-specific

Description:

The authors’ purpose is to provide a guide to the existing health measurement methods. All of the reviewed measures are questionnaires or rating scales. No laboratory measures are included.

Types of Information or Instruments:

For each of the measures, the authors organize information under thirteen headings, which include:

• Title
• Author
• Year
• Purpose
• Conceptual Basis
• Description
• Exhibits
• Reliability
• Validity
• Alternate Forms
• Reference Standards
• Commentary
• Address
• References

In some cases, the authors state that no information is available under a heading. In other cases, the heading and information under it are excluded. The measure and its items are listed in the Exhibit section.

Quantity of Instruments:

A total of 91 measures are presented. The instruments are grouped into seven categories:

Physical Disability and Handicap
• The PULSES Profile
• The Barthel Index
• The Index of Independence in ADL
• The Kenny Self-Care Evaluation
• The Physical Self-Maintenance Scale
• The Medical Outcomes Study Physical Functioning Measure
• A Rapid Disability Rating Scale
• The Functional Status Index
• The Patient Evaluation Conference System
• The Functional Activities Questionnaire
• The Lambeth Disability Screening Questionnaire
• The Disability Interview Schedule
• The OECD Long-Term Disability Questionnaire
• The Health Assessment Questionnaire
• The Functional Independence Measure
Social Health
• Format of the Social Relationship Scale
• The Social Support Questionnaire
• The Rand Social Health Battery
• The Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey
• The Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire
• The Duke Social Support and Stress Scale
• The Katz Adjustment Scales: Forms R2 and R3
• The Social Functioning Schedule
• The Interview Schedule for Social Interaction
• The Social Adjustment Scale
• The Social Maladjustment Schedule
• The Social Dysfunction Rating Scale
• The Structured and Scaled Interview to Assess Maladjustment
Psyhcological Well-Being
• The Health Opinion Survey
• Langner’s 22-Item Screening Score of Psychiatric Symptoms
• The Affect Balance Scale
• The Delighted-Terrible Scale
• The Faces Scale
• The Ladder Scale
• The Circles Scale
• The Life Satisfaction Index
• The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale
• The General Well-Being Schedule
• The Rand Mental Health Inventory
• The Health Perceptions Questionnaire
• The General Health Questionnaire
• The General Health Questionnaire (short form)
Depression
• Two Items from the Beck Depression Inventory
• The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale
• The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
• The Geriatric Depression Scale
• Selected Items from the Depression Adjective Check Lists, Form E
• The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
• The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale
• The Carroll Rating Scale for Depression
Mental Status Testing
• The Dementia Rating Scale
• The Cognitive Capacity Screening Examination
• The Aizheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale
• The Information-Memory-Concentration Test
• The Dementia Scale (Blessed)
• The Mental Status Questionnaire
• Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire
• The Mini-Mental State Examination
• The Clifton Assessment Procedures for the Elderly
Pain Measurements
• Visual Analogue Rating Scales
• The McGill Pain Questionnaire
• The Brief Pain Inventory
• The Medical Outcomes Study Pain Measures
• The Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire
• The Low Back Pain Symptom Checklist
• The Back Fain Classification Scale
• The Pain and Distress Scale
• The Illness Behavior Questionnaire
• The Pain Perception Profile
General Health Status and Quality of Life
• The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales
• The Physical and Mental Impairment-of-Function Evaluation
• The Functional Assessment Inventory
• The Functional Living Index—Cancer
• The EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLC-C30)
• The Quality of Life Index: Clinician Rating Version
• The Quality of Life Index: Self-Assessment
• The Dartmouth COOP Charts
• The Functional Status Questionnaire
• The Duke Health Profile
• The McMaster Health Index Questionnaire
• The Sickness Impact Profile
• The Nottingham Health Profile
• The Short-Form-36 Health Survey
• The Short-Form-20 Health Survey
• The Multilevel Assessment Instrument
• OARS Multidimensional Functional Assessment Questionnaire
• 22 Indicator Scales of the CORE-CARE
• The Disability and Distress Scale
• The EuroQol Quality of Life Scale
• Quality of Well-Being Scale

Quality of Instrument Descriptions:

The instrument descriptions are detailed and include information from multiple sources.

Quality of Psychometric Information:

The reliability information includes the actual coefficients and descriptions of the populations from which the coefficients were estimated. The validity information includes the type of validity assessed and a description of how it was assessed. When alternate forms are available, the book presents alternate forms reliability coefficients and a description of reasons why the alternate forms were created.

Scale Accessibility:

Scales and scoring guides are presented in the book.

Book Provides Actual Scale Items:

Yes, for most instruments.

User-friendly Navigation:

The book is logically organized and easy to navigate.

Other Types of Information:

In Chapter 2, the authors provide a discussion of theoretical and technical foundations of health measurement. Topics in this chapter include types of health measurements, scaling methods, methods for identifying and controlling biases, and methods for assessing reliability and validity.

Hints:

None.

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