QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN LIAISON PSYCHIATRY - A COMPARISON OF PATIENT AND CLINICIAN ASSESSMENT

Background. This exploratory study investigates the performance of the Health Measurement Questionnaire (HMQ), as compared with the Psychiat ric Assessment Schedule (PAS) and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), and compares self- and observer-completed measures. Method. A total o f 138 medical patients scoring over the screening threshold for probab le psychiatric illness completed the HMQ, NHP and PAS, and were rated by a psychiatrist on Rosser disability and distress. Results. HMQ disa bility correlated well with NHP and PAS physical health items, while H MQ distress correlated well with the NHP emotional reactions and PAS I ndex of Definition. There was significant correlation between self-rep ort and psychiatrist ratings, the latter being more sensitive to distr ess. Conclusion. The HMQ is a useful measure of generic health status in liaison psychiatry settings.