Abstract
To develop and validate a postal health status questionnaire which will identify people with dyspepsia in the general population.Validation against telephone interview and post re-post determination of reliability.A general practice population in the north of England.A random sample of adults aged 20-69 years inclusive chosen from the general population.Validity has been checked against telephone interview. A kappa statistic has been calculated for each question and clinical category.Compared with interview the questionnaire is a valid, comprehensive and easily understood record of symptomatology. The kappa statistics (mean value 0.92) indicate a very reliable questionnaire.The questionnaire accurately and reliably identifies people with dyspeptic symptoms.
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