THE RATING FORM OF IBD PATIENT CONCERNS - A NEW MEASURE OF HEALTH-STATUS

Health status assessment for persons with chronic illness includes not only symptoms, but also an appraisal of the psychosocial concomitants of illness. In this national study of persons with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we standardized a disease-specific 25-item measure of perceived health status: the Rating Form of IBD Patient Concerns (RFIPC). Factor analysis yielded four indices: a) impact of disease (e.g., being a burden, loss of energy, loss of bowel control); b) sexual intimacy; c) complications of disease (e. g., developing cancer, having surgery, dying early); and d) body stigma (e.g., feeling dirty or smelly). A higher level of IBD concerns was associated with greater disease severity, female gender, and lower educational status. When controlling for these factors, as well as disease type and age, we found that concerns about: a) impact of disease was positively associated with poorer perception of health and well-being, greater psychological distress (SCL-90), and poorer daily function (Sickness Impact Profile) (p < 0.0001); b) sexual intimacy was related to poorer psychologic function (p < 0.01); and c) complications of disease was related to several measures of poorer daily function (p < 0.0001 to 0.01). This standardized measure of the worries and concerns of persons with IBD may be used in clinical care and research to evaluate the effects of interventions on IBD patient outcomes.