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Functional measures in children with rheumatic diseases
1William S. Rowe Division of Rheumatology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Insights
Measuring function in pediatric rheumatic diseases is crucial for diagnosis and treatment monitoring. This review covers instruments assessing physical, psychosocial, economic, and quality of life outcomes in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Health Outcomes Measurement
- Clinical Assessment Tools
Background:
- Systematic measurement of function is essential for children with rheumatic diseases.
- It informs initial diagnosis and ongoing clinical management.
- Existing instruments for general pediatric and adult populations provide a basis for pediatric rheumatology tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development of instruments for measuring function in pediatric rheumatic diseases.
- To discuss specific and general tools for assessing disease and treatment outcomes.
- To address key dimensions including physical, psychosocial, economic, and quality of life impacts.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of functional measurement instruments.
- Discussion of instruments adapted from general pediatric and adult rheumatology.
- Focus on instruments relevant to pediatric rheumatology practice.
Main Results:
- Development of specific and general instruments for pediatric rheumatic diseases is ongoing.
- These instruments systematically measure physical function, psychosocial impact, economic impact, and quality of life.
- Adaptation of existing tools is a key strategy.
Conclusions:
- Standardized functional assessments are vital for pediatric rheumatic disease care.
- A range of instruments are available to evaluate comprehensive outcomes.
- Continued development and validation of these tools are necessary.
Abstract:
The measurement of function in children with rheumatic diseases is an intimate part of not only the initial diagnostic work-up, but also of every clinic visit during the course of these chronic diseases. This article focuses on the development of specific and general instruments used to systematically measure function and thus, outcome of the rheumatic diseases and their treatments. Reference is made to instruments developed for use in the general pediatric and adult rheumatology population as a basis for the discussion of the instruments in use in pediatric rheumatology. Specifically, the dimensions of physical function, psychosocial impact, economic impact and quality of life are addressed.