Report on Joint UNECE/WHO/Eurostat Task Force on Measurement of Health Status

Jennifer H. Madans

U.S.A.

First Meeting: 24-26 May 2004, Geneva Switzerland

Recommendation:

Establish a Steering Group and a Working Group

The Working Group will work toward the development of a new common instrument and will coordinate with existing groups such as the Eurostat Group on HIS and the Washington Group.

Terms of Reference for the Task Force

To review the basic principles broadly agreed to at the May meeting and in particular:

To agree on a common basic terminology To consider how to approach the use of

the ICF as the framework for question development

Terms of Reference for the Task Force

To determine the criteria for selecting health domains.

To select the domains based on criteria elaborated and provide solid explanations

To identify a draft set of questions to cover the selected domains to be discussed at the Meeting in 2005

To conduct statistical, cognitive and field testing of the set of questions to be agreed at the Meeting in 2005

Current Activities

Develop two papers that address aspects of the terms of reference and present the papers for discussion at the next meeting of the Task Force

Paper 1: Health as a Multidimensional Construct and Cross-Population Comparability Distinction between health status and health state Multi-dimensional approach to health state

description ICF as the framework for measuring health status What is it that should be measured for a given

health state? Distinguishing health states from determinants and

consequences Health states are attributes of individuals Comparability of measurement for health states Development of criteria for the selection of domain

Paper 2: Identification of Domains and the Development of Questions Physical functioning - mobility Physical functioning - dexterity Vitality/Fatigue Affect Anxiety Vision Hearing Pain and Discomfort Cognition

Memory and concentration Thinking and problem solving

Social relationships and functioning including communication

Next meeting

Meeting in Budapest, Hungary

Nov. 14-16, 2005