Short Health Scale: a valid and reliable measure of quality of life in Dutch speaking patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Patient reported outcomes are widely used in today's clinical practice. The Short Health Scale has been proven to be an easy-to-use and reliable measure to evaluate quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. We aimed to validate this Short Health Scale in Dutch speaking patients. A total of 157 Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients (46% male, median age 39 years) completed the Short Health Scale on a tablet during the outpatient clinic. Validity was assessed by correlating both individual and total Short Health Scale scores with short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire dimensions and clinical disease activity. Test-retest reliability was assessed in eight patients in stable remission who completed the Short Health Scale a second time after 4-8 weeks. All Short Health Scale items correlated with corresponding short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire dimensions (correlation coefficients ranging from -0.403 to -0.833, all  < .01). Short Health Scale scores increased stepwise with increasing clinical disease activity (all  < .001). The results of the Short Health Scale questionnaire remained stable on repeated measurements in patients in remission (r between 0.699 and 0.994, all  < .01 except for well-being). The Short health Scale is a rapid and valid instrument for measuring quality of life in Dutch speaking patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Its simplicity and usability make it a good candidate for routine care and suitable for home-monitoring of patients.