A Comparison between the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire and the Barthel Index in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Disability was measured in 33 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and a self-administered version of the Barthel index (BI). There was no significant disagreement between the two methods, although the HAQ showed a tendency to overestimate the degree of disability slightly. The findings suggest that the B1 is as reliable as the HAQ in the assessment of functional independence with activities of daily living in patients with RA. it also has the advantage of evaluating bladder and bowel control which is often affected in these patients. Most therapists are more familiar with the B1 than with the HAQ. The B1 could, therefore, be recommended for measuring rehabilitation gains in patients with RA.