Secondary analyses (including qualitative metasyntheses or metaethnographies) of existing data sets for the purposes of presenting integrative outcomes from different research programmes.
The Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS) was developed as a first step in a program of developing and validating a set of outcome measures for research on CAM/IM care [ 6].
As expected the generic Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS) lacked specificity and one participant found the VAS scale confusing, but this study confirmed its face validity and is the first to demonstrate its use in measuring change over time.
The Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS) is a one-item, visual analogue self-rating scale (VAS) with two alternate forms (one for daily ratings, AIOS-24h; and one for monthly ratings, AIOS-1m)(see Additional file: 1).
Our participants also had a mean score of 56 on the Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS) for the month prior to their interview, indicating a compromised sense of well-being.
Three substudies investigated the new one-item visual analogue Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS), which assesses self-rated global sense of spiritual, social, mental, emotional, and physical well-being over the past 24 hours and the past month.
The most commonly identified tools were: Short Form 36 Health Status Survey (SF-36: n = 9), Profile of Mood States (POMS: n = 7), Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS: n = 5), pain visual analogue scales (pain VAS: n = 4) and Measure Your Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP: n = 4).
*The Arizona Integrative Outcomes scale assesses a global sense of spiritual, social, mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing and is anchored by the statements 0 = "worst you have ever been" and 100 = "best you have ever been" [ 15]. **100 mm Visual Analog Scale anchored by the statements 0 = "will never recover" and 100 = "will recover completely".
Prior to each interview, participants completed the Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale [ 15], assessing a global sense of spiritual, social, mental, emotional, and physical well-being, anchored by the opposing statements, "worst you have ever been (0)" and "best you have ever been (100)" [ 15] on a 10-cm visual analog scale.
First, although several scales that may be more appropriate for CAIM therapies, such as the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP) and the Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS), have been developed, it is not currently possible to easily translate these latter measures into QALYs i.e., no preference weights exist for these measures.
