TABLE 1—
Domains Included in the Medical Outcomes Study–HIV Health Survey Questionnaire
| Domain | Definition | Number of Items |
| General health perceptions | Individual items in the scale ask patients to report on their general health, resistance to illnesses, and health outlook. | 5 |
| Physical functioning | This dimension consists of items that assess a range of severe and minor physical limitations. These items represent different levels and kinds of limitations including lifting heavy objects or participating in strenuous sports; walking uphill or climbing a few flights of stairs; bending, lifting, or stooping; and walking a short distance. Limitations in self-care activities are measured with a single item assessing the ability to eat, dress, bathe, or use the toilet by oneself. | 6 |
| Role functioning | Items are used to assess the impact of patients’ health on their ability to perform on the job, around the house, or in school. Patients are asked if their health keeps them from working at a job, doing work around the house, or going to school. The scale also asks if patients are unable to do certain kinds of work, housework, or schoolwork because of their health. | 2 |
| Pain | The survey assesses both the intensity of bodily pain and the degree of interference with normal activities because of pain. | 2 |
| Social functioning | This subscale asks patients to assess the extent to which their health in the past 4 weeks has limited their social activities. | 1 |
| Mental health | One or more items from each of the 4 major mental health dimensions (anxiety, depression, loss of behavioral/emotional control, and psychological well-being) are included in the scale. | 5 |
| Energy/fatigue | This scale measures differences in vitality. | 4 |
| Health distress | This dimension assesses the degree to which patients are discouraged and afraid because of their health problems. The scale also asks patients about the amount of time in the past 4 weeks that they have felt despair and weighed down by health problems. | 4 |
| Cognitive functioning | This dimension measures the degree of difficulty patients have experienced in the past 4 weeks with respect to their cognitive abilities. Patients are asked to assess how much of the time they have had difficulty reasoning or solving problems, been forgetful, and have had difficulty in remaining attentive and concentrating on activities. | 4 |
| Quality of life | In this dimension, patients are asked to assess the quality of their life during the past 4 weeks. The response categories range from very well, could hardly be better, to very bad, could hardly be worse. | 1 |
| Health transition | This question asks patients about the amount of change in their physical and emotional health over a 4-week period and has been found to provide useful information about actual changes in health status during the period before the administration of the survey. | 1 |