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The following two abstracts refer to papers published by researchers in the Health Services Research Unit, Oxford University. I hope they may be of interest. Peto V, Jenkinson C, Fitzpatrick R, Greenhall R. The development and validation of a short measure of functioning and well being for individuals with Parkinsons disease. Quality of Life Research 1995; 4: 241-248. Abstract: Parkinsons disease is a common degenerative neurological condition. A number of general health status measures exist but these may not address areas salient to specific diseases. We report here the development and validation of a short 39 item health status questionnaire for use in Parkinsons disease. Questionnaire items, generated from in-depth interviews with people with Parkinsons disease, were developed into a 65 item questionnaire. Data from a postal survey using the 65 item questionnaire were statistically analysed to produce a shorter questionnaire with 39 items and 8 scales addressing different dimensions of Parkinsons disease. A second postal survey was conducted in order to assess the reliability and validity of the new 39 item questionnaire. The final questionnaire, referred to here as the 39 item Parkinsons Disease Questionnaire (PDQ- 39), proved to have satisfactory internal and test-retest reliability, and construct validity in relation to other measures, reported by respondents with Parkinsons disease. Jenkinson C, Peto V, Fitzpatrick R, Greenhall R, Hyman N. Self reported functioning and well being in patients with Parkinsons disease: comparison of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Parkinsons Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Age and Ageing (in press). Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to document the impact of Parkinsons disease upon patients using both a generic health status measure (SF-36), and a disease specific measure, the 39 item Parkinsons Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Comparing the results of the SF- 36 in this population with a similar aged group selected randomly from two general practices it is evident that the disease has considerable impact on general levels of functioning and well being. Furthermore, other areas not contained on the SF-36 were found to be salient to Parkinsons patients. It is suggested that the disease specific measure will be of value, ideally alongside a generic measure, in studies aimed to determine the impact of a treatment regime upon this patient group or to monitor the long term progress of cohorts of patients with this illness. The paper highlights the need for careful consideration of measures for evaluation. Viv Peto Email ([log in to unmask]) Health Services Research Unit Public Health & Primary Care Dept University of Oxford, Radcliffe Infirmary Oxford OX2 6HE, UK