How to measure health status in rheumatoid arthritis in non-English speaking patients: validation of a Spanish version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (Spanish HAQ-DI).

The HAQ-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) is a useful instrument to measure health status in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Translation into another language requires a validation process, however. We have translated the HAQ-DI to be used on Spanish-speaking populations. We administered the questionnaire to 97 RA patients during the course of routine medical care. Reliability, measured by a test-retest with a one-month interval, was high (Spearman's rho = 0.89). Convergent and construct validity was obtained for all comparisons (Pearson's r > 0.4). The instrument was sensitive in detecting clinical improvement. We conclude that the Spanish HAQ-DI retains the characteristics of the original index and can be used to assess outcome in Spanish-speaking patients with RA. The procedure described may be used to translate the instrument into other languages either directly from English or from the Spanish version presented here.

Quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis: validation of a Spanish version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (Spanish-AIMS)

OBJECTIVE: To translate and validate The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) to be used by Spanish speaking populations. METHODS: We administered the questionnaire to 97 outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during routine patient care, in most cases with a trained interviewer. Reliability was assessed in stable patients using test-retest at a one-month interval. Internal consistency was evaluated with the coefficient of reliability. Convergent and construct validation was tested using ARA functional class, disease severity, disease activity, patient global assessment, and pain scores. Responsiveness was evaluated with one-tailed Student's t test and percentage of change. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was statistically significant for all scales except Activities of Daily Living and Anxiety. The coefficient of reliability was > 0.7 for all scales. Convergent and construct validity was detected with the constructs employed (Pearson's r > 0.4). Four/nine scales detected improvement (p < 0.05) in those patients in whom clinical change was recorded. CONCLUSION: The Spanish-AIMS retained the methodological properties of the original version and can be used as an outcome measure in Spanish speaking patients with RA.