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Adaptation of the RAQoL for use in Australia

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Margie McGee and Liz Hensor for assistance with analysis of the SF-36.

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Correspondence to S. R. Cox.

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Cox, S.R., McWilliams, L., Massy-Westropp, N. et al. Adaptation of the RAQoL for use in Australia. Rheumatol Int 27, 661–666 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-006-0287-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-006-0287-0

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