Evaluation of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2) in Finnish patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Finnish version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS2) in Finnish patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: The reliability of the Finnish AIMS2 (Finn-AIMS2) questionnaire was assessed by test-retest procedure and internal consistency of health-status scales. Construct validity was assessed by factor analysis, and convergent validity by correlation coefficients, with several disease activity and functional status variables. Results: Internal consistency was 0.79-0.89 and test-retest reliability 0.72-0.97. Factor analysis identified three factors: physical, psychosocial, and pain. There were strong correlations between the Finn-AIMS2 health-status scales and the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Conclusion: The Finn-AIMS2 questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring health status in middle-aged Finnish patients with RA. The results also support the applicability of AIMS2 in comparisons in multinational studies.