THE FIBROMYALGIA IMPACT QUESTIONNAIRE, A SWEDISH TRANSLATION OF A NEW TOOL FOR EVALUATION OF THE FIBROMYALGIA PATIENT

The American Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) was translated into Swedish. The FIQ is a brief 10-item self-administered instrument designed to evaluate the special problems bothering fibromyalgia patients. After the translation procedure, 73 Swedish women fibromyalgia patients answered the translated FIQ. The questionnaire was fast and simple to handle both for the patients and the investigators. There was a good level of correspondence between FIQ items and related items in the Health Assessment Questionnaire, the Nottingham Health Profile and the Psychological General Well-Being Index. There were no significant differences in a test-retest analysis. The study has provided evidence that the translated and slightly modified Swedish version of the American Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire has the validity and sensitivity to be able to function as a relevant and comprehensible tool to monitor FMS-patients.