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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Significant proportions of young people experience body dissatisfaction, which has implications for psychological and physical well‐being. Lesson content and perceived competence may be important variables for the experience of body dissatisfaction, yet these have been underexplored in physical education. The aim of this cross‐sectional study is to identify the relationships between body dissatisfaction and perceptions of competence, and to explore whether body dissatisfaction depends on lesson content. METHODS: A paper‐and‐pencil questionnaire was completed by 446 (210 boys, 236 girls) 13‐ to 14‐year‐old pupils from 37 physical education classes. The questionnaire assessed body dissatisfaction and perceived competence in physical education. Lesson content was also recorded. Twenty‐nine of the classes were engaged in team activities, eg, ball games. Eight classes were engaged in individual activities, eg, fitness. RESULTS: Multilevel analysis identified a significant negative association between body dissatisfaction and perceptions of competence in physical education. Lesson content did not significantly predict variations in body dissatisfaction scores. CONCLUSIONS: Teachers should focus on enhancing pupils' perceptions of competence in physical education to support the development of body satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eating self-regulatory capacity can help individuals to cope with the obesogenic environment and achieve, as well as maintain, a healthy weight and diet. At present, there is no comprehensive, reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing this capacity and measuring change in response to self-regulation interventions in adults. This paper reports the development of the Self-regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (SREBQ) for use in UK adults, and presents evidence for its reliability and construct validity. The development of the SREBQ involved generation of an item pool, followed by two pilot studies (Samples 1 and 2) and a test of the questionnaire's underlying factor structure (Sample 3). The final version of the SREBQ was then assessed for reliability and construct validity (Sample 4). Results: Development of the SREBQ resulted in a 5-item questionnaire. The face validity was satisfactory, as assessed by the pilot studies. The factor structure analysis (Sample 3) suggested that it has a single underlying factor, which was confirmed in a second sample (Sample 4). The SREBQ had strong construct validity, showing a positive correlation with general measures of self-regulation. It was also positively correlated with motivation and behavioural automaticity, and negatively correlated with food responsiveness and emotional over-eating (p < 0.001). It showed good discriminant validity, as it was only weakly associated with satiety responsiveness, food fussiness and slowness in eating. Conclusions: The SREBQ is a reliable and valid measure for assessment of eating self-regulatory capacity in the general UK adult population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kuma A .O . & J ordan S . (2012) Pain management in neonates: a survey of nurses and doctors. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(6), 1288-1301. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a descriptive survey of nurses' and doctors' knowledge and reported practice regarding procedural pain assessment and management in neonatal intensive care units. Background. There are concerns that pain is often unrecognized and under-treated in neonates. Current guidelines advocate administration of analgesia and comfort measures, but may be vulnerable to inter-professional differences in guideline implementation. Methods. All nurses and doctors working in all seven neonatal intensive care units in one area of the United Kingdom were surveyed between January to August 2007. Lead clinicians distributed and collected anonymous questionnaires. Findings. Response rate was 44% (62 doctors, 137 nurses). Internal consistency was high, overall Cronbach's alpha 0·976. Respondents were knowledgeable, mean score 82% (SD13·3%). They agreed that neonates feel pain and need analgesia. Chest drain insertion was perceived to be the most painful procedure, heel-prick the least. Respondents reported that analgesia and comfort measures were not usually administered for most procedures: nurses were more likely than doctors to report adhering to guidelines advocating administration of analgesia and comfort measures. Statistically significant differences between current and optimal practice were acknowledged. Few (21% and 37%) had received training on neonatal pain and fewer (2·5%) employed recognized pain assessment instruments. Pain management guidelines were available to 29(47%) doctors and 85(62%) nurses; 20(18%) reported that these had been audited. Conclusion. Clinicians were knowledgeable about neonatal pain, but gaps between knowledge and practice remain. This hiatus could be bridged by providing research evidence for the efficacy of guidelines incorporating validated pain assessment instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate current advanced practice Masters students' experience of clinical supervision, to explore how clinical supervision works in practice and to identify students' perceptions of the facilitators and barriers to clinical supervision in their workplace. Background: Advanced practitioners, and in particular nurses, play a pivotal role in delivering health care across acute and primary care settings. These non‐medical professionals fulfil a rapidly expanding proportion of roles traditionally undertaken by medically qualified staff within the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and often lead specialist clinics and services. To prepare for the advanced practice role, individuals are required to undertake a Master's in advanced practice to develop the required skills and knowledge and work in clinical practice with a clinical assessor/supervisor to demonstrate competence and performance. Design: A mixed method study using an online descriptive cross‐sectional survey and qualitative data were collected via focus groups and has been reported using the Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study checklist. Results: A total of 79 students completed the online survey (from 145 AP students), a response rate of 55%. Most respondents were nurses (n = 73) with 49 (62%) in a formal advanced practice trainee role, and the majority believed their clinical supervisor had a good understanding of advanced practice and the advanced practice role. Two focus groups were held with 16 participants in total. Thematic analysis revealed five themes: (a) perceived level and amount of support from clinical supervisors, (b) skill level of clinical supervisors, (c) physicians and their perceptions on supervising, Advanced practitioners (d) clinical supervisors' preparation for the role and (e) transition from trainee to qualified advanced practitioner. Conclusion: The survey revealed that advanced practitioner students perceived that clinical supervisors and workplace colleagues had a good understanding of the advanced practice role with good levels of support in practice. A more coherent approach is required for clinical supervision and an implementation framework that can be formally evaluated. Relevance to clinical practice: Several significant barriers to clinical supervision for advanced practitioner students were identified, and there are currently more barriers (including COVID‐19) than facilitators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring the physical activity of adults with progressive muscle diseases is important to inform clinical practice, for activity recommendations and for outcomes meaningful to participants in clinical trials. Despite its wide use, the measurement properties of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) have not been established in a muscle disease population. The sample of 103 adults with progressive muscle diseases included independently mobile participants and wheelchair users. Their home-based activity measured by the IPAQ was compared to simultaneous weeks of accelerometer activity data collected remotely in a longitudinal, measure evaluation study. Validity, reliability, and responsiveness were evaluated for the IPAQ alone, and for the IPAQ used in conjunction with a smart activity monitor. The IPAQ did not demonstrate satisfactory criterion validity, reliability or responsiveness and it systematically overestimated moderate and vigorous physical activity time by 161 minutes per week. Measurement properties of the IPAQ were improved when it was used in combination with a smart activity monitor. The IPAQ did not have satisfactory measurement properties compared to accelerometry in adults with progressive muscle disease. Combining self-report and objective activity measures might improve the accuracy of physical activity assessment in this and other comparable populations. Physical activity is a meaningful health outcome for adults with progressive muscle diseases, for whom precise activity quantification is important because of the potential for activity-related disease exacerbation. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) had unsatisfactory measurement properties compared to accelerometry; however, these were improved by adjunctive smart activity monitoring. Objective or combined physical activity measurement is recommended over self-report alone for clinical assessment of physical activity as part of rehabilitation and self-management programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A third of children admitted to paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the United Kingdom (UK) are transported by paediatric critical care transport services (PCCTs). Parents have described the transfer journey as particularly stressful. Critical care nurses have a key role in mitigating the impact of the journey on parents. Evaluating parents' experiences is important to inform service improvements. Aim and objectives: Our aim was to describe the development of a new measure of parents' experiences of PCCTs, derived from data collected in the Differences in access to Emergency Paediatric Intensive Care and care during Transport (DEPICT) study. Design: A descriptive cross‐sectional survey was used. Methods: As part of the DEPICT study, a 17‐item transport experience questionnaire was developed and given to parents of children transported by PCCTs to 24 UK PICUs during a 12‐month period. Analyses included exploratory factor analysis and a validation review by a PCCT stakeholder group. Results: Families of 1722 children (1798 journeys) completed questionnaires. Five items were excluded from further analysis as correlation coefficients were <0.3. Two factors explained 53% of the variance and all 12 items loaded on one of these factors. Factor 1 (8 items) explained 47% of the variance, had excellent internal reliability and the clustered items were conceptually coherent with a specific relevance to PCCTs; these were offered for consideration, with other items possibly discarded. Twenty‐eight PCCT clinicians reviewed the questions. Using a 70% agreement threshold, one additional, previously discarded, item was identified for inclusion, resulting in a nine‐item experience measure. Conclusion: Our brief measure of parents' experience of critical care transport provides a standardized measure that can be used across all PCCTs, enabling national benchmarking of services and potentially increasing the collection and use of parent experience data to improve services. Relevance to clinical practice: Being able to measure experience provides an opportunity to understand how to make services better to improve experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Stigma reduction is an important public health challenge because of the large morbidity and mortality associated with some forms of substance use. Extreme stigma can lead to dehumanisation of target groups, who are ascribed with lesser humanity. The authors examined whether there was blatant and subtle dehumanisation of people who use heroin, and if these were associated with levels of support for non-discriminatory drug policy. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional online study using a UK convenience sample (n = 307 [75.2% female, mean age 28.6 ± 12.2 years]) was conducted. Participants completed assessments of blatant (Ascent of Humans [AoH] scale) and subtle (an emotion attribution task) dehumanisation and a bespoke measure assessing support for non-discriminatory drug policies. Other measures controlled for stigma towards people who use drugs (PWUD) and moral disgust. Findings: There was greater blatant dehumanisation of people who used heroin compared to the general population and other potentially stigmatised reference groups, including people who use cannabis. The authors also found evidence of subtle dehumanisation, and people who used heroin were rated as being less likely to feel uniquely human emotions, less likely to feel positive emotions and more likely to feel negative emotions. Blatant dehumanisation was associated with significantly lower probability of support for non-discriminatory drug policy. Social implications: Dehumanisation may present significant challenges for stigma reduction initiatives and in fostering public support for drug policy and treatment. Denial of the humanity of this group could be used to justify discriminatory policies or relative deprioritisation of support services in funding decisions. Activities that seek to "rehumanise" PWUD, including social inclusion, and encouraging compassionate media representations that portray the lived experiences of substance use may be useful areas of future work. Originality/value: This is the first study to investigate blatant and subtle dehumanisation of people who use heroin, and how this relates to public support for drug policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to determine prevalence of pre-stroke frailty in acute stroke and describe validity of a Frailty Index–based assessment. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Single UK urban teaching hospital. Subjects: Consecutive acute stroke unit admissions, recruited in four waves (May 2016–August 2018). We performed the assessments within first week and attempted to include all admissions. Main measures: Our primary measure was a Frailty Index, based on cumulative disorders. A proportion of participants were also assessed with the 'Frail non-disabled' questionnaire. We evaluated concurrent validity of Frailty Index against variables associated with frailty in non-stroke populations. We described predictive validity of Frailty Index for stroke severity and delirium. We described convergent validity, quantifying agreement between frailty assessments and a measure of pre-stroke disability (modified Rankin Scale) using kappa statistics and correlations. Results: We included 546 patients. A Frailty Index–defined frailty syndrome was observed in 427 of 545 patients (78%), of whom, 151 (28%) had frank frailty and 276 (51%) were pre-frail. Phenotypic frailty was observed in 72 of 258 patients (28%). We demonstrated concurrent validity via significant associations with all variables (all p < 0.01). We demonstrated predictive validity for stroke severity and delirium (p < 0.01). Agreement between the frailty measures was poor (kappa = –0.06) and convergent validity was moderate (Frail non-disabled 'Cramer's V' = 0.25; modified Rankin Scale 'Cramer's V' = 0.47). Conclusion: Frailty is present in around one in four patients with acute stroke; if pre-frailty is included, then a frailty syndrome is seen in three out of four patients. The Frailty Index is a valid measure of frailty in stroke; however, there is little agreement between this scale and other measurements of frailty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is increasing policy interest in ensuring that the school environment supports healthy behaviours. We examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between schools' policies, programmes and facilities for physical activity (PA) and adolescents' objectively-measured activity intensity during the school day and lunchtime. Methods: Accelerometer-derived PA (proportion of time spent in sedentary (SED), light PA (LPA) and moderate-tovigorous PA (MVPA)) during school hours and lunchtime from 325 participants in the SPEEDY study were obtained from baseline measurements (primary school, age 9/10 years) and +4y follow-up (secondary school). School environment characteristics were assessed by teacher questionnaire. Multivariable multi-level linear regression analyses accounting for school and adjusted for sex, age, BMI and family socio-economic status assessed cross-sectional associations with lunchtime and school-day SED, LPA and MVPA; effect modification by sex was investigated. The association of changes in school environment with changes in outcomes was examined using multivariable cross-classified linear regression models. Results: There were significant differences between primary and secondary schools for 6/10 school environment characteristics investigated (including secondary schools reporting shorter breaks, more lunchtime PA opportunities, and higher number of sports facilities). Cross-sectional analyses showed that boys attending secondary schools with longer breaks spent significantly less time in SED and more time in MVPA during the school day. Longitudinally, an increase in break-time duration between primary and secondary school was associated with smaller reductions in MVPA during the school day. Moreover, participants who moved from a primary school that did not provide opportunities for PA at lunchtime to a secondary school that did provide such opportunities exhibited smaller increases in SED and smaller reductions in MVPA at lunchtime. Conclusions: Schools should consider the potential negative impact of reducing break time duration on students' MVPA and SED during the school day. School-based interventions that combine longer breaks and more PA opportunities during lunchtime may be a fruitful direction for future research. Further research should also explore other factors in the school environment to explain the school-level clustering observed, and study sex differences in the way that the school environment influences activity intensity for adolescent populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective In the treatment research literature on other psychological disorders, there is a move towards session-by-session symptom measurement. The necessary measures need to be brief, focused on core features since the last session, and readily available to clinicians. There is no measure in the eating disorders that meets those criteria. This research reports the development and validation of such a self-report questionnaire. Method The authors generated and refined a brief set of attitudinal and behavioral items. The resulting questionnaire (the ED-15) and an existing measure (Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire; EDE-Q) were completed by a large nonclinical adult sample ( N = 531), a group of self-reported eating disorder sufferers ( N = 63), and a group of women ( N = 33) diagnosed with bulimia nervosa or atypical bulimia nervosa and undertaking cognitive-behavioral therapy. Results Factor analysis identified two scales (Weight and Shape Concerns; Eating Concerns), with strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Correlations with the EDE-Q ( r = 0.889) indicates that the ED-15 and EDE-Q measure near-identical constructs. The ED-15 differentiated self-reported eating-disordered and nonclinical groups to the same degree as the longer EDE-Q. Session-by-session analysis of the CBT treatment group demonstrated that the different ED-15 scales changed in different patterns across therapy. Discussion The ED-15 is not proposed as an alternative to existing measures, but as a complementary tool, used to measure session-by-session change for clinical and research purposes. Future research will track changes in ED-15 scores across therapy, to determine the importance of very early response to therapy and sudden changes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2015; 48:1005-1015). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Previous research has highlighted lack of knowledge, understanding and confidence among parents and teachers responsible for the postural care of children with physical disability. Interventions designed to improve these qualities require a reliable and validated tool to assess pre- and post-intervention levels. Currently, however, no validated measure of postural care confidence (i.e. self-efficacy) exists. Hence, the aim of this research was to develop a reliable and valid questionnaire to assess parents' and teachers' confidence, alongside knowledge and understanding of postural care - the Understanding Knowledge and Confidence in providing POSTural CARe for children with Disabilities (UKC PostCarD) questionnaire. Methods Items were developed by a multidisciplinary team and designed to map onto the content of 'An A-to-Z of Postural Care'. Parents, teachers and therapists assessed items for face validity. Scale reliability was then assessed using Cronbach's alpha and known-group validity was assessed by comparing scores of an 'expert' group (physiotherapists and occupational therapists) with those of a 'non-expert' group (with no formal training in postural care). Results The total scale and all three subscales (understanding and knowledge, confidence and concerns) demonstrated adequate reliability (α > 0.83) and subscale correlations formed a logical pattern (understanding and knowledge correlated positively with confidence and negatively with concerns). Experts' (n = 111) scores were higher than non-experts' (n = 79) for the total scale and all subscales (P < 0.001). Conclusion Findings support the reliability and validity of the UKC PostCarD questionnaire as a measure of understanding, knowledge and confidence in providing postural care for children with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on the psychometric properties and development of the Brief Adolescent Prosocial Perception Scales (BAPPS), with a focus on testing for prosociality in adolescents with emotional or behavioural problems. Topics include the use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, potential clinical uses for BAPPS, and psychometric assessment for young people.

Background: Although previous research has provided some indication of the association of alexithymia and burnout, this is the first study exploring the association of these two variables in a sample of relatives of individuals who have sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI). Objective: To explore the degree to which relatives experience burnout and the extent to which alexithymia acts as a pre-disposing factor, controlling for depression and coping strategies. Method: Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services, Estonian COPE Dispositional Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory-II were completed by 60 relatives of patients with TBI drawn from a tertiary head injury clinic population. Results: Levels of emotional exhaustion, reduced personal accomplishment and depression were significantly higher in the sub-group of relatives with alexithymia than in the sub-group of relatives without alexithymia. Difficulty describing feelings and externally oriented thinking style were significant predictors of emotional exhaustion, while difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings were important predictors of depersonalization. Conclusions: Relatives who present with alexithymia need to be identified at an early stage to minimize risks of burnout leading to adverse effects on patient-caregiver relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To explore associations among breastfeeding duration, maternal personality and maternal attitudes and experiences of breastfeeding. Background Understanding influences on breastfeeding initiation and duration is critical to increasing breastfeeding rates and supporting new mothers. Maternal characteristics such as self-efficacy, knowledge and confidence are known to enable women to breastfeed, but little is known about the influence of maternal trait personality on breastfeeding. Design An exploratory cross-sectional survey. Method A total of 602 mothers with an infant aged 6-12 months old completed a self-report questionnaire examining maternal trait personality, breastfeeding duration and attitudes and experiences of breastfeeding. Data were collected between March-June 2009. Results Mothers who reported high levels of extraversion, emotional stability and conscientiousness were significantly more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding for a longer duration. Attitudes and experiences significantly associated with these personality traits such as perceived difficulties and lack of support may explain these patterns. For example, characteristics associated with introversion and anxiety may prevent women from seeking support or challenging negative attitudes of others at this critical time. Conclusion Understanding the influence of maternal personality may thus be a useful tool in antenatal support to recognize women who may need extra, directed support while facilitating discussion of potential barriers to breastfeeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To develop a valid and reliable measure of the supervisory relationship ( SR) from the perspective of the supervisor. Design A cross-sectional self-report questionnaire design was used with a repeated component for a subsample. Method Qualitative data from a previous study of the SR (collected by interviews with supervisors) were used to construct an 89-item self-report questionnaire measure (Supervisory Relationship Measure [ SRM]). This was administered to 267 clinical psychology supervisors involved in supervising UK trainee clinical psychologists. One hundred and thirty-four participants completed the measure a second time to establish its test-retest reliability. Results Principal components analysis was used. Five factors were identified and labelled 'safe base', 'supervisor commitment', 'trainee contribution', 'external influences', and 'supervisor investment'. Fifty-one items (comprising five subscales based on the factors identified) were selected for the final measure. Analyses revealed the SRM to have good internal consistency, good test-retest reliability, and good construct (convergent and divergent) validity. A preliminary test of predictive (statistical) validity (supervisor satisfaction with the relationship and trainee competence as perceived by the supervisor) yielded promising results. Conclusion The SRM is a valid and reliable measure of the SR from the supervisor perspective. It predicts supervisor satisfaction and preliminary evidence suggests that it may also predict trainee competence (as perceived by the supervisor). The findings are consistent with current theory on the SR. The SRM is, therefore, a promising tool for use in research, clinical, and training settings. Practitioner points The supervisory relationship measure (SRM) is a new psychometrically sound measure of the supervisory relationship (SR) with clinical and research uses., Clinically, it is a useful and structured way for supervisors to provide constructive feedback to their trainees., It can be used in conjunction with the Supervisory Relationship Questionnaire (SRQ) (completed by the supervisee) to support a dyadic discussion about clinical supervision., Currently the measure is only validated on Clinical Psychology trainees and should be used with caution with qualified staff and other professional groups., Participants were predominantly white British supervisors who chose to take part in an internet-based study and thus the sample may not be fully representative of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Trainee dietitians, nutritionists, nurses and doctors will direct the future of obesity treatment and prevention. To do so effectively, they must be willing and able to engage empathically with overweight and obese people. The present study aimed to assess weight bias among UK trainee healthcare professionals and to investigate the factors predicting weight bias, both static and potentially modifiable. Methods A self-completed questionnaire collected data on demographics, weight and height, the Fat Phobia Scale ( F-scale), and the Beliefs about Obese People ( BOAP) scale from 1130 students. Results Overall, participants demonstrated significant levels of fat phobia [F-scale score mean ( SD) = 3.8 (0.5)]. Only 1.4% of participants could be said to have expressed 'positive or neutral attitudes' (i.e. achieved a F-scale score ≤ 2.5). Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that lower fat phobia (as measured by the F-scale) was uniquely predicted by a higher self-reported body mass index, being on the Nursing BSc course and a stronger perception that obesity is not under a person's control (as measured by the BOAP scale). Conclusions There are unacceptable levels of weight bias among UK students training to become nurses, doctors, nutritionists and dietitians. The results of the present study suggest that a promising approach for future interventions would be the provision of balanced education about the controllability of obesity, focusing upon genetic and environmental factors, as well as diet and exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To explore the practice of nurses who prescribe medication for patients with skin conditions. Background Nurses have lead roles in dermatology services. In the United Kingdom, nurses in primary care frequently prescribe medicines for skin conditions, but there are concerns about role preparation and access to continuing professional development. The prescribing practices of nurse independent supplementary prescribers who care for patients with skin conditions are under-researched. Design Cross-sectional survey. Methods An online questionnaire was used to survey 186 nurses who prescribed for skin conditions from May-July 2010. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests. Results The majority worked in primary care (78%) and general practice (111, 59·7%). Twenty (10·8%) had specialist modules (at diploma, degree or master's level), 104 (55·9%) had dermatology training (e.g. study days), 44 (23·7%) had no training, and a further 18 (9·6%) did not respond. Oral antibiotics, topical antifungal and antibacterial drugs were frequently prescribed. Nurses with specialist dermatology training used their qualification in a greater number of ways, prescribed the broadest range of products and prescribed more items per week. Over 70% reporting on continuing professional development had been able to access it. Conclusions A large number of nurses in primary care prescribe medicines for skin conditions and are involved in medicines management activities. Lack of specialist dermatology training is a concern and associated with lower prescribing-related activities. Access to dermatology training and continuing professional development are required to support nurse development in this area of practice and maximise benefits. Relevance to clinical practice Nurse prescribers' involvement in medicines management activities has important implications in terms of improving access to services, efficiency and cost savings. To maximise their contribution, improved provision of specialist dermatology training is required. This will be of interest to education providers and service planners in the UK and countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives Fulfilling patient expectations is central to defining a good quality of life (QoL) in health. The WHOQOL-BREF was developed using novel, person-centred methods and is a generic patient-reported outcomes measure (PROM). However, without robust psychometric performance, PROMs cannot be relied upon to assess individuals. This study investigated the WHOQOL-BREF (UK), with this use in mind. Design Cross sectional with nested repeated measures. Setting and participants Twenty-seven disease groups or health conditions and healthy people were recruited at 38 UK sites, in a wide range of settings ( n = 4628). Interventions 'Treatment as usual'; new and alternative interventions. Outcome measures WHOQOL-BREF (UK); SF-36. Results Respondent burden was low, as acceptability and feasibility were high. Internal consistency was excellent (0.92) and test-retest reliability good. Distinctive QoL profiles were found for diverse conditions. Musculoskeletal, psychiatric and cardiovascular patients reported the poorest QoL and also improved most during treatment. Overall, QoL was good, and best for healthy groups, supporting discriminant validity. Compared with the SF-36, WHOQOL physical and psychological domains showed good concurrent validity, although social was weak. Small or moderate effect sizes confirmed responsiveness to change in specified domains for certain conditions and interventions. Age had a small impact on reporting QoL. Discussion and conclusion The WHOQOL-BREF is found to be a high quality patient-centred generic tool suited to individual assessment in clinics, for research, and audit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]