Measuring Health : A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires

Worldwide economic constraints on health care systems have stressed the need to monitor the outcomes of care and the output of the health system. This is the second edition of a reference book that provides in-depth reviews of the quality of the leading health measurements that are used for these purposes. Its principal aim is to guide the reader in choosing among rival measurement methods and to score the instrument chosen. The book also provides a critical overview of the field of health measurement, with a technical introduction and discussion of the history and future directions for measurements in each area.
Eighty-eight measurements that evaluate health via questionnaires or rating scales are reviewed.. Reviews of the 50 scales included in the first edition have been updated, the original chapters have been expanded to include new methods, and two new chapters have been written. The book covers measurements of physical disability, social health, psychological well-being, depression, mental status testing, pain, general health status and quality of life. Each chapter presents a tabular comparison of the quality of the instruments. The description of each method covers its purpose and conceptual basis, its reliability and validity, and a copy of the scale is shown.
This book is intended as a reference work for researchers from the medical and social sciences, and for health professionals wishing to evaluate the progress of their patients. The first edition was praised for its accurate and thorough descriptions of measurement scales and for its contributions to improving the science of health measurement. It has always been used as a text in health services research courses. The second edition further strengthens these qualities.

Ian McDowell is at University of Ottawa.