Test-retest reliability of pain VAS/NRS, stiffness VAS/NRS, HAQ-DI and mHAQ in polymyalgia rheumatica: An OMERACT study

Leung, Jessica L.; Twohig, Helen; Muller, Sara; Maxwell, Lara; Mackie, Sarah L.; Neill, Lorna M; Owen, Claire E.

Abstract

Objective
To examine the test-retest reliability of four measurement instruments in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR): pain severity visual analogue scale (VAS) / numerical rating score (NRS), stiffness severity VAS/NRS, the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and the modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ).

Method
Two prospectively collected datasets were used. All participants had a diagnosis of PMR and only those with stable disease were included in analyses. Measurement instruments were administered twice, with a testing interval of two to six weeks. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated using a two-way mixed effects model looking for absolute agreement. ICC values of 0.8-0.9 were deemed representative of good test-retest reliability, whilst values >0.9 were representative of excellent test-retest reliability.

Results
From the first dataset, 38 participants were analysed. The ICC between baseline and 2 weeks for pain VAS, stiffness VAS, HAQ-DI and mHAQ were 0.84, 0.82, 0.92 and 0.92 respectively.
From the second dataset, 58 participants were included in the analysis for pain NRS, 59 for stiffness NRS and 78 for mHAQ. The ICC between baseline and follow-up for pain NRS, stiffness NRS and mHAQ were 0.80, 0.83 and 0.87 respectively.

Conclusion
Pain severity VAS/NRS, stiffness severity VAS/NRS, HAQ-DI and mHAQ all demonstrate good to excellent test-retest reliability in a PMR patient population.

Citation

Leung, J. L., Twohig, H., Muller, S., Maxwell, L., Mackie, S. L., Neill, L. M., & Owen, C. E. (2023). Test-retest reliability of pain VAS/NRS, stiffness VAS/NRS, HAQ-DI and mHAQ in polymyalgia rheumatica: An OMERACT study. Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, 62, 152239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152239

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 5, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jul 8, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-10
• Deposit Date: Jul 25, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 9, 2024
• Journal: Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism
• Print ISSN: 0049-0172
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 62
• Pages: 152239
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152239