Applicable scales for use in the pre-hospital setting

Over the past 12 months, there has been an increased focus on mental health in the media, spearheaded by no less than the future king of England via the ‘Heads Together’ initiative. We are being constantly reminded that there is no place for stigma or prejudice against mental illness. Most ambulance services are promoting mental health and wellbeing within their workforce, who are themselves increasingly attending incidences of mental health presenting patients. For this reason, Measuring Health: A Review of Subjective Health, Well-being and Quality of Life Measurement Scales by Ann Bowling may have a high degree of relevance to the practising clinician.

Before embarking on a journey through the complex world of measurement scales, there are no less than 115 acronyms abbreviated for you, not to mention 51 accompanying references. At first this information is a little overwhelming; however, it becomes essential for understanding and serves as a good resource if you intend to do further reading. This sets the tone for what is to come; a format which analyses nearly a hundred measurement scales, focusing on the scoring method, validity, and reliability and, in some cases, a useful example is given. This doesn't necessarily make for easy reading—the text is littered heavily with academic references and numerical data. Having said that, it is also packed with valuable information which provides a good insight into specifics of each measurement scale.