Scale Overview
The Patient Specific Complaints – PSC (Patiënt Specifieke Klachten – PSK) was developed by Beurskens AJHM (1996). It is designed to measure Functional status and activity limitations. The scale is intended for use with Adults with physical complaints (e.g., low back pain, Parkinson’s disease, claudication, ankle injury, cardiac complaints).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 5 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = No difficulty / Can perform without effort, 1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = 8, 9 = 9, 10 = Impossible to perform / Maximum hindrance.
Scoring
Item scores are averaged to produce a mean score.
Total scores range from 0 to 10. Interpretation guidelines:
- Mild limitation: 0 – 3
- Moderate limitation: 4 – 6
- Severe limitation: 7 – 10
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High test-retest reliability reported in various clinical populations.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.