Validity and reliability studies were conducted on the Face Scale, a very brief, pictorial scale of mood which uses a sequence of 20 faces and does not require reading literacy. Correlational and experimental evidence of the Face Scale's construct validity is presented, as well as its test-retest reliability. Recommendations are made for its use as a screening tool and for additional validity studies.

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Managing patient-nonadherence with prescribed exercise regimens is not an uncommon task for physical therapists working with individuals with arthritis. Yet little is known about the factors that influence patient adherence with exercise programs or therapist knowledge and use of theoretically based adherence management techniques. Survey research with physical therapists and patients was used to provide a database for further insight into the barriers experienced in implementing exercise programs in clinical practice. In this paper, we suggest that the cooperation with an exercise regimen is mediated by the patient's belief system and requires a therapeutic process of mutual inquiry, problem solving, and negotiation between the therapist and patient. Concepts from research, theory, and practice are integrated into a Process Model for Patient-Practitioner Collaboration for use in clinical practice.There is evidence that noncooperation or a lack of compliance or adherence with arthritis treatment recommendations is a major problem that can affect patients' health status, yet much remains to be learned about the factors that influence patient cooperation [I-

A survey of 200 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients was conducted to identify the kinds and frequencies of intentional and unintentional reasons for missed medication doses. Planned and unplanned changes in usual activity routines accounted for most of the unintentionally missed doses, while side effects attributed to the medication accounted for most of the intentionally missed doses. Patients who did not miss medication doses were different from those who did by tending to have more financial resources and social support available to them.

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The validity and reliability of self‐administered joint counts are reported in a group of32 rheumatoid arthritis patients being followed at a university‐based practice located in theSoutheast region of the United States, serving low to middle income urban and rural patients. Adequate inter‐rater reliability among the patients' and the research assistant's joint counts was obtained for upper (r = 0.74), lower (r = 0.96), and upper and lower extremities (r = 0.89). Convergent validity correlations for pain, helplessness, and the Joint Alignment and Motion scale were found to be adequate. We conclude that rheumatoid arthritis patients can reliably assess their joint counts. Self joint counts along with other validated self‐reportsof health status may be applicable to busy outpatient settings, as well as in clinical research.

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?'his study examined the validity and reliability of full and short versions of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS). One hundred fifty-five patlents with Rheumatoid Arthritis followed at a Universi ty Hospital Rheumatology Clinic completed the full AIMS at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months. After reducing the 45-item AIMS to 22, alpha reliabilities and test-retest correlations showed that, with the exception of test-retest correlations for mobility at 6 months and for pain at 12 und 18 months, tne full and short scales were comparably reliable. Convergent validity correlations with theoretically related scales were also comparable. However, some of the short scales did not detect the same differences over time that the full scales did. Specifically, the short mobility, pain, anxiety, and depression scales were not as sensitive to change as the full scales.