Development of a disability measurement tool for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The juvenile arthritis functional assessment scale

Abstract

A disability assessment tool, the Juvenile Arthritis Functional Assessment Scale, was developed for, and validated in, patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Standards for this 10-item tool were developed using the scores of 63 normal school children as controls and comparing these results with those of 71 agematched JRA patients (age 7-16 years). The JRA patients scored statistically significantly higher on the scale, which also demonstrated excellent internal and convergent validity and internal reliability. The test is easily administered in 10 minutes by a physical or occupational therapist in a clinical or office setting. This tool represents the first normalized disability assessment tool developed for JRA patients.Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a complex disease of varying severity and prognosis. It is the most frequently encountered pediatric rheumatic disease, one of the more common chronic diseases of

Outcome Measures in Pediatric Rheumatology

“…The scale is valid for children aged 7-16 yrs. The main disadvantage of this tool is that it needs some standard equipment and also a trained observer [27].…”

Schmerzbezogene Beeinträchtigung bei Jugendlichen mit chronischen Schmerzen

“…Beispielsweise zeigen JAFAR [19], JAFAS [26] und PEDMIDAS [18] zufrieden stellende psychometrische Charakteristika, erfassen allerdings überwie-gend die Beeinträchtigung durch die spezifische Erkrankung, nicht aber die Beeinträchtigung durch die Schmerzen selbst. Erst der 2007 entwickelte CALQ [16] …”

Outcome measures and medical progress: Why outcome measures are needed in childhood arthritis

“…The JAFAR, developed between 1989 and 1991, is a parent and child self-report questionnaire with 23 items aimed at measuring functional ability [33][34][35]. The JAFAR has good reliability and validity.…”