Table 2 Self-complete postal questionnaires. Conceptual domains, operational definitions, and empirical measures
Conceptual domain | Operational definition | Empirical measure | No. of items | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Index pain location | Site of index pain complaint | Choice of anatomical site | 1 | B |
Index global severity | Composite characteristic pain intensity, interference with activities, and disability days (of the index pain, in the month preceding index consultation) | Chronic Pain Grade [8] †| 7 | B, 3FU, 6FU, 12FU |
Nature of onset | Traumatic, atraumatic onset | Yes/no/unsure | 1 | B |
Episode duration | Time since last whole month free from this pain | Episode duration [9] †| 1 | B, 3FU. 6FU, 12FU |
Multiple site/widespread pain | Pain in sites other than the index site over the last month. Manchester definition of widespread pain; Keele definition of number of pain sites | Manikin [12, 13] †| 1 | B, 3FU, 6FU, 12 FU |
Pain consultation | First consultation for this pain complaint | Yes/no | 1 | B |
Origin pain | Cause of pain | Free text | 1 | B |
Consultation reason | Reason for consulting GP for this pain | Free text | 1 | B |
Prognostic discussion | Does patient recall GP discussing prognosis | Yes/no | 1 | B |
Prognostic importance | Is discussing prognosis important to the patient | Yes/no with free text section for explanation | 3 | B |
Anxiety | Anxiety symptoms in past week | HAD [14] | 7 | B, 3FU, 6FU, 12FU |
Depression | Low mood, anhedonia in past week | HAD [14] | 7 | B, 3FU, 6FU 12FU |
|  | Low mood, anhedonia in the past month | Depression Screening questions for primary care [10] †| 2 | B, 3FU, 6FU, 12FU |
Coping strategies | Coping strategies questionnaire | 1-item CSQ [15] | 8 | B |
Patient Prognostic Judgement | Anticipated global change at 6 months | 6 item scale (completely recovered through to much worse) (adapted from [11] | 1 | B |
Patient Perceived Recovery | Patients self-perceived rating of recovery | Yes/no [11] | 1 | 3FU, 6FU, 12FU |
Age | Age at index consultation | Date of birth | 1 | B, 3FU, 6FU, 12FU |
Sex | Sex | Male/Female | 1 | B, 3FU, 6FU, 12FU |
Employment status | Employment status at time of questionnaire | Employed/Not working due to ill health/Retired/Housewife/Unemployed/Other | 1 | B,6FU. 12FU |
Socioeconomic status | Occupational class based on individual (i) current or (ii) most recent job title | Job title – categorised as manual/non-manual according to SOCC 2000 [16, 17] | 2 | B |
Living arrangement | Live alone | Yes/No | 1 | B |
Marital status | Marital status at time of Baseline Questionnaire | Married/Single/Divorced/Widowed/Separated/Cohabiting | 1 | B |
Social support | Availability of instrumental support | Single items [18] (yes/no/no need) | 1 | B, 3FU, 6 FU, 12 FU |
| Â | Availability of emotional support | (yes/no/no need) | 1 | Â |
Obesity | Body Mass Index | Height (m/ft, in), weight (kg/st, lb) | 2 | B |
General health | Self-rated health | SF-36 item [19] | 1 | B, 3FU, 6 FU, 12 FU |