[Measuring functional capacity in backache patients in rehabilitation: a comparison of standardized questionnaires]

In recent years, subjective assessment of functional ability by patients has become an important diagnostic instrument in rehabilitation medicine. We compared three self-administered standardized questionnaires for measuring functional capacity in patients with back pain (the back pain-specific version of the Hannover Functional Ability Questionnaire, the Roland & Morris Scale, and the Measurement of Patient Outcome Scales) with respect to feasibility, reliability, and validity. The sample comprised 119 patients treated for back pain in a rehabilitation clinic in North Germany. Besides measures of functional ability, anamnestic and psychosociological data were collected in addition. Mobility of the spine was assessed by simple clinical tests. The three questionnaires differed only slightly with regard to their psychometric properties and appeared to be equally well suited for measuring functional ability in patients with back pain. The decision for one of the instruments should be based on practical considerations (time for completion, feasibility, availability of reference data).