SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ASSESSMENT OF SYMPTOMS AND FUNCTION OF THE SHOULDER

A self-administered questionnaire was designed to assess the severity of symptoms related to and the functional status of the shoulder, It i ncludes domains of global assessment, pain, daily activities, recreati onal and athletic activities, work, satisfaction, and areas for improv ement. Each domain is graded separately and is weighted to arrive at t he total score, The over-all scale and each domain were prospectively tested for validity, reliability, and responsiveness to clinical chang e. One hundred patients who were seen for evaluation of the shoulder w ere enrolled in the study. The validity of the scale was demonstrated by moderate-to-high correlation of the domains and individual question s of the Shoulder Rating Questionnaire with those of the Arthritis Imp act Measurement Scales 2. Validity was supported further by significan t correlation of the scores in each domain with the level of satisfact ion in that domain and by significantly lower scores in domains that p atients selected as areas important for improvement. The over-all scal e and each domain were internally consistent (Cronbach alpha, 0.71 to 0.90). Reproducibility was evaluated by repeated administration of the questionnaire after a mean of three days to forty patients whose cond ition was clinically stable, Reproducibility of the over-all questionn aire and individual domains was excellent (Spearman-Brown index, 0.94 to 0.98), Individual questions were reproducible, with a weighted kapp a value of more than 0.7 for each. Responsiveness was evaluated by com parison of the preoperative and postoperative scores of thirty patient s who had a satisfactory result one year after an operation on the sho ulder, The over-all Shoulder Rating Questionnaire and each domain were responsive to clinical change as demonstrated by favorable standardiz ed response means (range, 1.1 to 1.9) and indices of responsiveness (r ange, 1.1 to 2.0). Similar analysis performed for individual diagnosti c groups supported the validity, reliability, and responsiveness of th e questionnaire in each group. The self-administered shoulder question naire was found to be valid, reliable, and responsive to clinical chan ge, These qualities should make it a useful instrument for the prospec tive assessment of the outcome of treatment of disorders related to th e shoulder.