Table 1.
Content of the baseline postal questionnaire
| Concept | Measurement method | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Quality of life | EuroQOL (EQ-5D) [31] | Five dimension descriptive system (today) |
| Perceived general health | MOS Short Form-36 (SF-36) version 2 [32] | 36-items covering eight health domains (past 4 weeks) |
| Anxiety and depression | Hospital anxiety and depression scale [33] | Anxiety and depression sub-scales (past week) |
| Depression Screening questions for primary care [34] | Low mood/anhedonia in the last month | |
| Bodily pain | Location: Self-completed manikin | "In the past 4 weeks, have you had pain that has lasted for one day or longer in any part of your body?" |
| Current pain severity [35] | 0-10 NRS with verbal anchors (no pain, pain as bad as can be) | |
| Episode duration [36] | <3 months, 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 1-2 years, 3-5 years, 6-10 years, 10+ years | |
| Clinical triage and prioritisation tools | Patient-completed Salisbury score | 6-item triage tool for musculoskeletal problems referred from primary care |
| PROG-RES tool [27] | 7-item prognostic tool for musculoskeletal pain in primary care | |
| Modified STarT Back screening tool [28] | 7-item modified screening tool for musculoskeletal prognostic indicators including 5-item psychosocial subscale (past 2 weeks) | |
| Knee pain | Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) [37] | Pain (0-20), stiffness (0-8), physical functioning (0-68) |
| Healthcare utilisation for musculoskeletal problems | Consultations | GP, hospital doctor, practice nurse, district nurse, physiotherapist, osteopath, other |
| Investigations/treatment | ||
| Medication use | Analgesics, NSAIDs, opiates, natural remedies, glucosamine, chondroitin | |
| Occupational characteristics | Job title/type of work for most of working life | |
| Current employment status | Working full-time/part-time, Employed but off-sick for < 6 months, Looking after home/children, Not working for > 6 months due to joint/back problem, Fully retired, Early retirement due to joint/back problem, Student | |
| Work absence during last 6 months due to joint/back problems | Yes/No | |
| Current work status | Doing usual job, working fewer hours, doing lighter duties, paid/unpaid sick leave | |
| Stanford presenteeism scale (SPS-6) [38] | 6-items concerning Health Status and Employee Productivity (5-point Likert scale) | |
| Effect of joint/back problems on productivity | 0-10 NRS with verbal anchors (no effect, completely prevented me from working) | |
| Demographic characteristics | Date of birth, gender | |
| Marital status | Married, separated, divorced, widowed, cohabiting, single | |
| Living arrangements | Alone, not alone | |
| Anthropometric data | Self-reported height | |
| Self-reported weight | ||
| Lifestyle characteristics | Smoking status | Never, previously, currently |
| Alcohol intake | Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, never |