Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire


Name and Synonyms

Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, Roland-Morris Questionnaire, RMQ, RMDQ.

Source Article

Roland MO, Morris RW. A study of the natural history of back pain. Part 1: Development of a reliable and sensitive measure of disability in low back pain. Spine 1983; 8: 141-144.

Description

The Roland-Morris Questionnaire is one of  the most widely used questionnaires which have been designed for back pain. It has been shown to yield reliable measurements, which are valid for inferring the level of disability, and to be sensitive to change over time for groups of patients with low back pain.

Structure / Content

The Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire is a self-administered disability questionnaire consist of 24 items (see below). Those 24 questions are related specifically to physical functions that were likely to be affected by low back pain. Each item was qualified with the phrase “because of my back pain” to distinguish back pain disability from disability due to other causes—a distinction that patients are in general able to make without difficulty. Patients completing the RDQ are asked to place a check mark beside a statement if it applies to them that day.

Scoring Method

The Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire is scored by adding up the number of items checked by the patient. It is not recommended to give patients a ‘Yes’ / ‘No’ option. If patients indicate in any way that an item is not applicable to them, the item is scored ‘No’. Then, simply count the scores for a result between 0 and 24.

Interpretation

Greater levels of disability are reflected by higher numbers. Scores under 4 and over 20 may not show significant change over time in patients with scores of less than 4 and deterioration in patients who have scores greater than 20. 

Validity / Reliability / Predictive Ability

Numerous papers have been published on the validity, reliability and psychometric properties of the RMDQ (see references).

Development

The Roland-Morris Questionnaire has been developed by Martin Roland, Director of the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester, UK. The RDQ was derived from the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), which is a 136-item health status measure covering many aspects of physical and mental function.

Versions / Translations

A 18-item version does exist. Also, some uses 23-item version. 36 translations and adaptations are available. They can be found at an external link: here.

Apllication and time to do

Although designed for administration on paper, the RDQ has also been satisfactorily administered on computer and by telephone. It takes 5 minutes (or less) to complete.

Cost

None. The original questionnaire and all translations are in the public domain.



The Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire
Name: _____________________________ Dob: ___/___/______ Date: ___/___/______

When your back or leg hurts, you may find if difficult to do some of the things you normally do. Please mark with a cross only the sentences that describe you TODAY.
  • 01. [ ] I stay at home most of the time because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 02. [ ] I walk more slowly than usual because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 03. [ ] Because of my back and/or leg pain pain, I am not doing any jobs that I usually do around the house.
  • 04. [ ] Because of my back and/or leg pain pain, I use a handrail to get upstairs.
  • 05. [ ] Because of my back and/or leg pain, I lie down to rest more often.
  • 06. [ ] Because of my back and/or leg pain, I have to hold onto something to get out of an easy chair.
  • 07. [ ] Because of my back and/or leg pain, I try to get other people to do things for me.
  • 08. [ ] I get dressed more slowly than usual because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 09. [ ] I stand up only for short periods of time because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 10. [ ] Because of my back and/or leg pain, I try not to bend or kneel down.
  • 11. [ ] I find it difficult to get out of a chair because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 12. [ ] My back is painful almost all of the time.
  • 13. [ ] I find it difficult to turn over in bed because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 14. [ ] I have trouble putting on my socks (or stockings) because of pain in my back and/or leg pain.
  • 15. [ ] I sleep less well because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 16. [ ] I avoid heavy jobs around the house because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 17. [ ] Because of back and/or leg pain, I am more irritable and bad tempered with people than usual.
  • 18. [ ] Because of my back and/or leg pain, I go upstairs more slowly than usual.
  • 19. [ ] I change positions frequently to try to get my back and /or leg comfortable.
  • 20. [ ] My appetite is not very good because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 21. [ ] I can only walk short distances because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 22. [ ] Because of my back and/or leg pain, I get dressed with the help of someone else.
  • 23. [ ] I sit down for most of the day because of my back and/or leg pain.
  • 24. [ ] I stay in bed most of the time because of my back and/or leg pain.
Office Use Only Score: ___________________ Improvement: ____________________%




References

  • Roland MO, Morris RW. A study of the natural history of back pain. Part 1: Development of a reliable and sensitive measure of disability in low back pain. Spine 1983; 8: 141-144.
  • The Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire and the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire. Spine 2000; 25: 3115-3124.
  • Stratford PW, Binkley J, Solomon P, et al. Defining the minimum level of detectable change for the Roland-Morris Questionnaire. Phys Ther. 1996;76:359-365.Bejia, I., Younes, M., Kamel, B. S., Letaief, M., Touzi, M., Soltani, M. and Bergaoui, N. (2005). "Validation of the Tunisian version of the Roland-Morris questionnaire." Eur Spine J 14(2): 171-4.
  • Brouwer, S., Kuijer, W., Dijkstra, P. U., Goeken, L. N., Groothoff, J. W. and Geertzen, J. H. (2004). "Reliability and stability of the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire: intra class correlation and limits of agreement." Disabil Rehabil 26(3): 162-5.
  • Chansirinukor W, Maher CG, Latimer J, Hush J. Comparison of the functional rating index and the 18-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire: responsiveness and reliability. Spine. 2005 Jan 1;30(1):141-5
  • Costa LO, Maher CG, Latimer J, Ferreira PH, Ferreira ML, Pozzi GC, Freitas LM. Clinimetric testing of three self-report outcome measures for low back pain patients in Brazil: which one is the best? Spine 2008 Oct 15, 33(22): 2459-2463
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