Worldwide economic constraints on health care systems have stressed the need to monitor the outcomes of care and the output of the health system. This is the second edition of a reference book that provides in-depth reviews of the quality of the leading health measurements that are used for these purposes. Its principal aim is to guide the reader in choosing among rival measurement methods and to score the instrument chosen. The book also provides a critical overview of the field of health measurement, with a technical introduction and discussion of the history and future directions for measurements in each area. Eighty-eight measurements that evaluate health via questionnaires or rating scales are reviewed.. Reviews of the 50 scales included in the first edition have been updated, the original chapters have been expanded to include new methods, and two new chapters have been written. The book covers measurements of physical disability, social health, psychological well-being, depression, mental status testing, pain, general health status and quality of life. Each chapter presents a tabular comparison of the quality of the instruments. The description of each method covers its purpose and conceptual basis, its reliability and validity, and a copy of the scale is shown. This book is intended as a reference work for researchers from the medical and social sciences, and for health professionals wishing to evaluate the progress of their patients. The first edition was praised for its accurate and thorough descriptions of measurement scales and for its contributions to improving the science of health measurement. It has always been used as a text in health services research courses. The second edition further strengthens these qualities.

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Claire Newell is the host of Travel Best Bets on Canada’s Global television network. The founder of Jubilee Tours and Travel Ltd., one of Canada’s largest independent travel agencies, she lives in Vancouver.]]>

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"Indispensable for those seeking a consumer's guide to health measures....Written in an engaging and informative style....'5 stars!'(highest rating)"--Doody Publishing

"A handy one-stop reference for tools of measurement and their appraisal....It has proven useful in examining quality of life and those patients coping with disabilities and chronic pain. A good index makes it easy to locate information within the book and a glossary...provides assistance with technical terms....Measuring Health is a valuable addition to both hospital and academic health science library collections."--Bibliotheca Medica Canadiana

Noted in Physiotherapy Canada

"This book is an essential reference to more than 80 published instruments that measure various aspects of health and illness....Purchase of this book is cost-effective; its use should decrease expensive literature searches."--Telemedicine Today

" ... an excellent sources of reference for the clinician and researcher ... " Physiotherapy Canada (Fall 1997)

"An excellent book, which should be chained to the bookshelf of everyone evaluating health care interventions - chained because it is one of the books that will constantly get "borrowed" by colleagues, never to reappear."--Chronic Diseases in Canada