Arthritis Research UK Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire shows benefits in new study

Arthritis Research UK-backed scientists have developed a potentially groundbreaking new tool that could make it easier for medical professionals to assess patients with musculoskeletal health problems. The Arthritis Research UK Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) was recently evaluated by a team from the Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre at Keele University, demonstrating the significant benefits it can offer. How the questionnaire works Currently, the tools used to measure musculoskeletal outcomes tend to vary between different healthcare settings and conditions; as such, there is a pressing need for a unified system of measuring outcomes that can be applied throughout the care process for patients with different musculoskeletal conditions. The MSK-HQ is a short questionnaire that allows people with conditions such as arthritis orback pain to report their symptoms and quality of life in a standardised manner, developed with the active participation and feedback from patients, clinicians and academics. This has made it possible to set out holistic indicators - includingpain severity, physical function, work and social interference,sleep patterns, fatigue, emotional health, physical activity, independence, understanding, confidence to self-manage and overall impact - reflecting how well services are improving quality of life for people with these conditions. The benefits In this new study, published in the British Medical Journal, the questionnaire was assess...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news