Better assessment of physical function: item improvement is neglected but essential

Table 1 Pooled responses about clarity to four physical-function items ^a

Item stem and response options		Number	% Rated unclear (SE^b)
Are you able to [...]		258	7.75 (0.02)
1. Without any difficulty 2. With a little difficulty 3. With some difficulty	4. With much difficulty 5. Unable to do)
Does your health now limit you in [...]		270	7.78 (0.02)
1. Not at all 2. Very little 3. Somewhat	4. Quite a lot 5. Cannot do
Due to my health [...] is		270	10.74 (0.02)
1. Impossible 2. Very difficult 3. Slightly difficult	4. Easy 5. Very easy
How easy is it for you to [...]		258	11.63 (0.02)
1. Very easy 2. Easy 3. Slightly difficult	4. Difficult 5. Very difficult 6. Impossible
For me, [...] is ...		258	15.12 (0.02)
1. Very easy 2. Easy 3. Slightly difficult	4. Difficult 5. Very difficult 6. Impossible
Does your health now limit you in [...]? If so, how much?^a		136	17.65 (0.03)
1. Yes, limited a lot 2. Yes, limited a little	3. No, not limited at all

^aBathe and dress yourself, climb several flights of stairs, open a new milk carton, and run errands and shop.
^bStandard error.
^cPF-10 items, normally presented in grid format, were originally presented as single items with two-part questions. Only item stems and response options varied.

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