Measure | Data source | Measure of | Higher score indicates/score interpretation | Measurement details |
---|---|---|---|---|
EQ-5D-3L15 | Resident/proxy | Preference-based generic quality of life measure Responses are given in each of five ‘dimensions’ relating to health-related quality of life: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain and anxiety or depression. Responses are one of three levels in each dimension; no problems, some or moderate problems, serious or extreme problems. A further question measures perceived current health state on a visual analogue scale. | Higher is better Higher score indicates higher ‘utility’—see measurement details. | The dimension-level responses are mapped to a ‘utility’ score ranging from −0.59 (worse than death) to 1 (full health). The mapping algorithm is based on the results of a preference study conducted on a representative sample of the UK population.38 |
Depression (GDS-15)16 | Resident | Measure of depressive symptoms designed for use in elderly populations | Higher is worse Higher score indicates greater number of depressive symptoms (ie, more depressed). Interpretation34 0–4: not typically cause for concern 5–8: mild depression 9–11: moderate depression 12–15: severe depression | Consists of 15 yes/no questions, producing a score ranging from 0 to 15 |
Cognitive functioning (MMSE)17 | Resident | Measure of cognitive function | Higher is better Higher score indicates higher level of cognitive functioning. Interpretation33 0–17: severe cognitive impairment 18–23: mild cognitive impairment 24–30: no cognitive impairment | Consists of 11 questions covering orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, and language and produces a score from 0 to 30 |
Pain score12 | Resident | Measure of current pain | Higher is worse Higher score indicates a higher level of current pain. | Presence or absence of pain was ascertained from the EQ-5D pain question. For those with pain their current level of pain was assessed on a five-point ordinal scale ranging from no pain to pain as bad as it could be. |
Dementia | Medical records | Diagnosis (or not) of dementia recorded in care home records | 0: no diagnosis 1: diagnosis | Data on whether or not the resident had been diagnosed with dementia were collected from medical records. |
Physical functioning (SPPB)18 19 | Resident | Measure of physical function | Higher is better Higher score indicates greater physical functioning. Interpretation32 0–3: severe limitations 4–6: moderate limitations 7–9: mild limitations 10–12: minimal limitations | Combines the results of the gait speed, chair stand and balance tests19 and produces a score ranging from 0 to 10 |
Activities of daily living (Barthel Index)20 | Proxy | Measure of activities of daily living | Higher is better Higher score indicates greater functional independence. Interpretation31 0–20: total dependence 21–60: severe dependence 61–90: moderate dependence 91–99: slight dependence 100: independent | Consists of 10 items relating to daily functioning, producing a score ranging from 0 to 100 |
Social engagement (SES)21 22 | Proxy | Measure of social engagement | Higher is better Higher score indicates greater social engagement. | Consists of six yes or no responses, generating a score from 0 to 6 |
GDS, Geriatric Depression Scale; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination; SES, Social Engagement Scale; SPPB, Short Physical Performance Battery.