Scoring guidelines for the FIQR

The FIQR is much easier to score compared to its predecessor – the FIQ

There are just 3 steps:

Step 1. Sum the scores for each of the three domains (function, overall, and symptoms).

Step 2.     a. Divide domain one score by 3
                b. Divide domain two score by one (that is, it is unchanged)
                c. Divide domain three score by 2

Step 3. Add the three resulting domain scores to obtain the total Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) score.

Missing answers

If you are not using computerized input which demands the completion of each question before the next in line can be tackled (e.g. a paper questionnaire), you will need to compensate for unanswered questions. In such cases we recommend the use of the following “weighting” factor:

If only x questions from the first section (function) were answered, one would weigh the summated score of the x questions by 9/x (as there are 9 items in the function set of questions) Likewise the second section (overall impact) would have a weighting of 2/x (there are only 2 items) and the third section (symptoms) would have a weighting of 10/x (there are 10 items).

Addendum

Sometimes one or two items of the first domain (i.e. function), cannot be answered because a subject has not performed that activity within the past 7 days or is physically unable to perform that activity. We therefore recommend using the following amendment of the sentinel question for the first domain:

“Check the box that best indicates how much your fibromyalgia made it difficult to perform each of the following 9 activities during the past 7 days. If you did not perform a particular activity in the last 7 days, rate the difficulty for the last time you performed the activity. If you can’t perform an activity, check the last box”.