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Quality of life is an important patient-reported outcome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in addition to structural and functional outcomes. The RAQoL (Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life questionnaire) was developed in the UK and the Netherlands as a disease-specific tool. It was adapted for use in the Australian social context and the reliability and validity was tested. A lay panel assessed the UK version and adapted the wording for use within Australia. Reliability and validity were assessed by a postal survey of the RAQoL and comparator questionnaires to 100 patients with RA. The RAQoL was easily adapted into Australian-English. Test–retest reliability was high with a Spearman rank correlation coefficient of 0.93. RAQoL scores correlated well with patient-perceived disease activity and severity—indicating good validity. The Australian version of the RAQoL is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of quality of life. It is practical, easy to administer and has good potential for use in clinical settings and trials in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the “hand anatomic index” (HAI—a quantitative measure of hand deformity) in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) and to compare it with the other measures of hand deformity and functional impairment. The HAI (measure of open hand span minus closed hand span/lateral height of hand) was determined in 30 patients with scleroderma and compared with hand deformity (as assessed by two independent rheumatologists) and with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ), hand strength and prehensile gripability data. The HAI was confirmed as a reliable measure which clearly distinguished patients with increasing hand deformity and separated patients with diffuse scleroderma ( n=12) from limited scleroderma ( n=18), P=0.005. The HAI correlated significantly with measures of global functional impairment (as measured by the mHAQ) r=−0.46, P=0.01, hand strength r=0.51, P=0.0001 and prehensile gripability, r=−0.37, P=0.05 but neither with disease duration r=−0.16, P=NS nor age at disease onset r=0.20, P=NS. It was estimated that the HAI accounts for ~25% of the total global disability (as measured by HAQ). Measurement of the HAI in scleroderma provides a reliable and objective measure reflecting variable degrees of hand deformity and functional impairment and might provide a valid clinical outcome measure in patients with this disabling disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]