THU0187 Quality of life im rheumatoid arthritis: adaptation of raqol for use in turkey

Background Traditionally, the primary focus of medical research is the measurement of mortality and morbidity. During the past decade however interest is increasing in measurement of quality of life, health status, and functional status in the field of rheumatology. Objectives The purpose of this study was to adapt the RAQoL for Turkish population and to test the new version’s reliability and validity. Methods After the translation process, 61 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (mean age 49, 82% female) were recruited for validation study. All the patients were evaluated by the disease activity scale (DAS), Nottingham health Profile (NHP), and Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire. Patients were interviewed twice with a week interval. Results The test-retest reliability of Turkish version of RAQoL was good (Spearman correlation coefficient for total RAQoL was 0,913). The internal consistency of RAQoL was satisfactory (Cronbach alpha: 0,95). It was found high correlation between the RAQoL and NHP subscores and low correlations between the RAQoL and DAS, HAQ. Conclusion The results of this study are the indicator of the validity and reliability of the RAQoL as an important additional measurement which reflects the impact of RA from the patient perspective in Turkey.