OsteoArthritis questionnaire (OA-Quest)

Below is a list of the ways that your joints may affect you. Please tell us how true of you is each of the following statements. When answering these questions, please think about the joints that give you the most trouble. Please tick only one box per question.

How true of you is each of the following statements? /
1 / I have difficulty shopping because of my joints / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
2 / People often have to help me because of my joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
3 / I have joint symptoms that are hard to live with / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
4 / My joint problems make me uncomfortable about how I look / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
5 / Because of my joint problems, I find it hard to meet day to day expenses / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
6 / I don’t get enough restful sleep because of pain in my joints / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
7 / My joint problems make it hard for me to get dressed / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
8 / Even when I take my medication, I have no confidence that my joint pain will be controlled / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
9 / I accomplish hardly anything at work because of my joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
10 / Because of my joint problems, I find it difficult to get around my neighbourhood / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
11 / I don’t know what to expect because my joint pain changes a lot from day to day / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
12 / My joints make it difficult for me to use stairs / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
13 / At night I get very little sleep because of joint pain / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
14 / My joint problems make it difficult for me to help others / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
15 / My joint problems create financial difficulties for me / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
16 / I have a lot of pain in my joints even in bed at night / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
17 / My joint problems make me feel like a failure / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
18 / I have put on weight because of my joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
19 / Because of my joint problems, I feel lonely / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
20 / I constantly wake up during the night because of joint pain / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
21 / I have joint symptoms that cause me severe discomfort / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
22 / I am in bad shape physically because of my joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
23 / I feel that I have no strength in my joints / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
24 / I struggle to keep up at work because of my joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
25 / My joints make it hard for me to wash myself (e.g., have shower or bath) / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
26 / I have trouble paying for the treatments I need for my joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
27 / My sleep is disturbed by joint pain / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
28 / I am angry about having joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
29 / Because of my joint problems I am less productive at work than others / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
30 / My joint problems make me feel hopeless about the future / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
31 / Because of my joint problems, I can't do my household chores / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
32 / Pain in my joints wears me down / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
33 / My joints stop me from going outside my home / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
34 / I feel worthless because of my joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
35 / I have joint problems that make it hard for me to manage financially / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
36 / Because of my joint problems, I have cut down on how much I exercise / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
37 / I have joint problems that make it impossible for me to look after myself / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
38 / I have stopped trying to be physically active because of my joint problems / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
39 / My joint problems make me depressed / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
40 / Because of my joint problems, I often have to take time off work / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
41 / I have joint problems that stop me from going out with other people / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
42 / I have joint pain that makes me feel tired and exhausted / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Osteoarthritis Questionnaire (OA-Quest) Scales

Physical distress scale
  1. I have joint symptoms that are hard to live with

  1. Even when I take my medication, I have no confidence that my joint pain will be controlled

  1. I don’t know what to expect because my joint pain changes a lot from day to day

  1. I have joint symptoms that cause me severe discomfort

  1. I feel that I have no strength in my joints

  1. Pain in my joints wears me down

  1. I have joint pain that makes me feel tired and exhausted

Sleep disturbances scale
  1. I don’t get enough restful sleep because of pain in my joints

  1. At night I get very little sleep because of joint pain

  1. I have a lot of pain in my joints even in bed at night

  1. I constantly wake up during the night because of joint pain

  1. My sleep is disturbed by joint pain

Psychosocial distress scale
  1. My joint problems make me uncomfortable about how I look

  1. My joint problems make me feel like a failure

  1. Because of my joint problems, I feel lonely

  1. I am angry about having joint problems

  1. My joint problems make me feel hopeless about the future

  1. I feel worthless because of my joint problems

  1. My joint problems make me depressed

Work productivity scale
  1. I accomplish hardly anything at work because of my joint problems

  1. I struggle to keep up at work because of my joint problems

  1. Because of my joint problems I am less productive at work than others

  1. Because of my joint problems, I often have to take time off work

Physical limitations scale
  1. I have difficulty shopping because of my joints

  1. People often have to help me because of my joint problems

  1. My joint problems make it hard for me to get dressed

  1. Because of my joint problems, I find it difficult to get around my neighbourhood

  1. My joints make it difficult for me to use stairs

  1. My joint problems make it difficult for me to help others

  1. My joints make it hard for me to wash myself (e.g., have shower or bath)

  1. Because of my joint problems, I can't do my household chores

  1. My joints stop me from going outside my home

  1. I have joint problems that make it impossible for me to look after myself

  1. I have joint problems that stop me from going out with other people

Physical de-conditioning scale
  1. I have put on weight because of my joint problems

  1. I am in bad shape physically because of my joint problems

  1. Because of my joint problems, I have cut down on how much I exercise

  1. I have stopped trying to be physically active because of my joint problems

Financial hardship scale
  1. Because of my joint problems, I find it hard to meet day to day expenses

  1. My joint problems create financial difficulties for me

  1. I have trouble paying for the treatments I need for my joint problems

  1. I have joint problems that make it hard for me to manage financially

Table 1: Dimensions of the OsteoArthritis Burden Questionnaire

Scale / Meaning of high scores
Physical distress (7 items)
Captures “Pain and suffering” aspects of OA. Items in this scale target ongoing physical discomfort, distress related to joint pain, and uncontrollable and unpredictable fluctuations in pain severity. / High scores are characteristic of someone who experiences great deal of pain, discomfort, and fatigue from their OA, and finds their symptoms unpredictable, intrusive, and difficult to control.
Sleep disturbances (5 items)
This scale measures sleep disturbances due to joint pain. Items in this domain address problems with falling asleep, waking up through the night, and overall sleep quality. / High scores on this domain represent someone who has difficulty falling asleep at night, is constantly woken up by pain, and who feels that their sleep is disturbed by pain and not restful.
Psychosocial distress (7 items)
This sale captures emotional distress and interpersonal difficulties experienced in response to OA. Items address feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, loneliness, anger, and body image concerns. / People with high scores on psychosocial distress scale feel worthless, are hopeless about the future, depressed, angry, lonely, and worried about their physical appearance.
Productivity loss (4 items)
This scale measures the capacity for productive work. Items address ability to keep up with work tasks, reduced on-the-job effectiveness, and work absences due to joint pain. / High scores represent someone who struggles to keep up with work tasks, feels that their work is ineffective and unproductive, and often has to take time off work.
Physical limitations (11 items)
Assesses limitations in tasks of daily life due to OA. Items address impairment in mobility and self care limitations. / People with high scores have great difficulty with moving within and outside their home, and are greatly impaired in their ability to take care of their personal needs, such as dressing, bathing, or doing their household chores
Physical de-conditioning (4 items)
This scale measures deterioration in general physical condition. Items address compromised ability to exercise, weight gain, and loss of physical fitness. / People with high scores on this dimension have great difficulty with keeping physically active, find that they are unable to keep healthy weight, and generally feel that they are in bad physical shape.
Financial hardship (4 items)
This domain is targets the financial burden of OA. Items assess difficulties with paying for day-to-day and medical expenses. / High scores in this domain are characteristic of someone who has great difficulty in being able to meet their expenses and generally finds it hard to make ends meet financially.

L. Busija, R. Osborne, R. Buchbinder, 2008 OA-QuestTM version 1. Further information: Email: . Ph +613 9953 3604

NO PART OF THE OA-QuestTM MAY BE ALTERED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHORS

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