Combining Rasch and cluster analysis: a novel method for developing rheumatoid arthritis states for use in valuation studies

Purpose: Health states that describe an investigated condition are a crucial component of valuation studies. The health states need to be distinct, comprehensible, and data-driven. The objective of this study was to describe a novel application of Rasch and cluster analyses in the development of three rheumatoid arthritis health states. Methods: The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) was subjected to Rasch analysis to select the items that best represent disability. K-means cluster analysis produced health states with the levels of the selected items. The pain and discomfort domain from the EuroQol-5D was incorporated at the final stage. Results: The results demonstrate a methodology for reducing a dataset containing individual disease-specific scores to generate health states. The four selected HAQ items were bending down, climbing steps, lifting a cup to your mouth, and standing up from a chair. Conclusions: Overall, the combined use of Rasch and cluster analysis has proved to be an effective technique for identifying the most important items and levels for the construction of health states

Combining Rasch and cluster analysis: a novel method for developing rheumatoid arthritis states for use in valuation studies

Purpose: Health states that describe an investigated condition are a crucial component of valuation studies. The health states need to be distinct, comprehensible, and data-driven. The objective of this study was to describe a novel application of Rasch and cluster analyses in the development of three rheumatoid arthritis health states. Methods: The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) was subjected to Rasch analysis to select the items that best represent disability. K-means cluster analysis produced health states with the levels of the selected items. The pain and discomfort domain from the EuroQol-5D was incorporated at the final stage. Results: The results demonstrate a methodology for reducing a dataset containing individual disease-specific scores to generate health states. The four selected HAQ items were bending down, climbing steps, lifting a cup to your mouth, and standing up from a chair. Conclusions: Overall, the combined use of Rasch and cluster analysis has proved to be an effective technique for identifying the most important items and levels for the construction of health states.health state; Rasch analysis; cluster analysis; quality of life; rheumatoid arthritis

Hell and Damnation, Freedom and Responsibility

A review essay on Joel Buenting, ed., The Problem of Hell: A Philosophical Anthology (Farnham, 2010). 236 pages. $88.84. ISBN: 9780754667636, and Jordan C. Ferrier, Calvin and C. S. Lewis: Solving the Riddle of the Reformation (Allendale, 2010). 172 pages.$8.99. ISBN: 9781479101283

Review of Shadows and Chivalry: Pain, Suffering, Evil and the Goodness in the Works of George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis

P.H. Brazier: Review of Jeff McInnis, Shadows and Chivalry: Pain, Suffering, Evil and Goodness in the Works of George MacDonald and C. S. Lewis (Eugene, Oregon, 2008). 307 pages. $39.00. ISBN 9781556356650

Book Review

Review of Andrew Walker and Luke Bretherton (eds.), Remembering Our Future: Explorations in Deep Church (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2007). 224 pages. $24.99. ISBN: 9781842275047

Review of The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind

Review of Alister McGrath, The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind (Downers Grove, 2010). 210 pages. $22.00. ISBN: 978083083843

Review of Inklings of Heaven: C. S. Lewis and Eschatology

A review of Sean Connolly, Inklings of Heaven: C. S. Lewis and Eschatology (Leominster, Herefordshire: Gracewing, 2007). 324 pages. $35.00. ISBN: 9780852446591

Review of From the Library of C. S. Lewis: Selections from Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey

Review of James Stuart Bell, From the Library of C. S. Lewis: Selections from Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey (Colorado Springs, 2004). x + 402 pages. $15.29. ISBN: 9780307730824