Detailled Information

Name of the Instrument/Tool Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)
First Description

Fries JF, Spitz P, Kraines G, Holman H. Measurement of Patient Outcome in Arthritis, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 1980, 23:137-145.

Year 1980
Domains
Concept of constructs Health related quality of life, Physical function
Population/Disease Disease specific
Originally developed for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Osteoarthritis (OA)
Other rheumatic diseases
where can be applied (only if validated)
Autoinflammatory diseases, Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Fibromyalgia (FM), Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies (IIM), Gout, Inflammatory arthritis (IA), ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), Osteoarthritis (OA), Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), Plaque psoriasis
Additional population with no rheumatic diseases Yes
normal aging populations
Language: Originally published in English
Available in Language Swedish, German, Korean, Italian, Danish, Portuguese, Russian, French, Slovak, Arabic, Finnish, Hungarian, Spanish, Dutch, Turkish, Norwegian, Serbian, Romanian
REFERENCE IDENTIFICATION
Author/s Fries JF, Spitz P, Kraines RG, Holman HR
Title Measurement of patient Outcomes in arthritis
Journal Arthritis and Rheumatism
Year 1980
Vol 23
Num 2
Pages 137-145
Country USA
Language English
Other references of interest
Link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12831398
Brief Description

The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire: dimensions and practical applications.

Link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20559736
Brief Description

Application of the Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index to various rheumatic diseases.

Instrument/Tool Translations References
Link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12831398
Brief Description

The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire: dimensions and practical applications.

Link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14673964
Brief Description

Validation of a Japanese version of the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire in 3,763 patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8014941
Brief Description

Spanish version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire: reliability, validity and transcultural equivalency.

DEVELOPER CONTACT INFORMATION
Correspondence to James F. Fries
E-Mail jff@stanford.edu
Address Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University Medical Center, 1000 Welch Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1808
Website http://aramis. stanford.edu/HAQ.html
Available ---
Links

The HAQ is copyrighted by Stanford University for the purpose of insuring that it will be used unmodified to preserve the validity of its results and contribute to standardization of assessment across studies. However, it is considered to be in the public domain, with the request that users cite relevant HAQ articles(s) in their publications. There is no charge from Stanford for permission to use the English version of the HAQ. However, other groups that have independently translated the HAQ may charge for their versions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENT
Type Of Measure Questionnaire
Brief Description

The HAQ measures difficulty in performing activities of daily living. It assesses difficulty over the past week in 20 specific functions that are grouped into 8 categories: dressing and grooming, arising, eating, walking, personal hygiene, reaching, gripping, and other activities.

It was specifically developed for use among adults ith arthritis, but it has since been used in a wide range of populations. It is the most widely used functional measure in rheumatology. 

Number of Items 20 items covering 8 subscales . In addition, the use of personal assistance, assistive aids, or devices is measured
Range 0-3
Responses options/scale Yes
and 3 = unable to do
Developed for Research
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Method of administration Self-administered
Recommendations to score

The highest score within a category is used as the category score. Dependence on physical assistance or equipment raises the category score to 2. The HAQ score is calculated as the mean of the 8 category scores.  The overall score is not calculated if fewer than 6 category scores are completed.

Score Interpretation Higher scores reflect more activity limitation. Scores of 0 to 1 are generally considered to represent mild to moderate difficulty, 1 to 2 moderate to severe disability, and 2 to 3 severe to very severe disability.
Cut-off points ---
Cut-off points applied to ---
Smallest detectable change if described 0.6
Smallest detectable change applied to ---
Completion time by the patient <10 minutes
Scoring time by the assessor <10 minutes
Training to score Not necessary
Strengths Useful in clinical practice & research, Widely used
Limitations Floor effect, Lengthy
OTHER COMMENTS
Other Comments ---