The multidimensional health assessment questionnaire (MDHAQ) includes RAPID3 (routine assessment of patient index data), a 0–30 index of three 0–10 visual numeric scales (VNS) of physical function, pain and patient global assessment (see Figure 1).

The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), introduced in 1980, is among the first PRO instruments designed to represent a model of patient-oriented outcome assessment. The HAQ is based on five patient-centered dimensions: disability, pain, medication effects, costs of care, and mortality.

The MDHAQ is useful in rheumatic diseases, to improve management documentation and outcomes. MDHAQ data for physical function, pain, global status, and RAPID3 scores appear preferable to no quantitative data.

The MDHAQ is a questionnaire about how your RA is affecting you . Three questions on this questionnaire are used to calculate your RAPID3 score and disease activity, and they are the only questions you will need to answer .

The score of the questionnaire is the sum of the individual item scores divided by 10 or the mean of the item scores if 8 or 9 items are completed. The HAQ-II is not to be scored if fewer than 8 items are completed.

The HAQ has 20 questions and is widely validated (Table 5.3). The score goes from 0 (no incapacity) to 3 (full incapacity); a score below 0.5 is considered normal whereas a score above 1.5 indicates severe disability.