Measurement of health status in patients with chronic illness: comparison of the Nottingham health profile and the general health questionnaire.

The results of two commonly used instruments for measuring health status were compared in patients with chronic illness. The Nottingham health profile (NHP) is a measure of perceived health, while the general health questionnaire (GHQ) is a measure of non-psychotic psychiatric disturbance. The questionnaires were completed by patients suffering either rheumatoid arthritis or migraine. The results provide evidence that, despite some specific problems in the measurement of pain and emotional reactions, the NHP and GHQ may be used to assess the impact of illness upon sufferers' lives, not only in severely disabling disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, but in health problems such as migraine which have often been considered as relatively minor ailments.