A new health questionnaire was implemented as of March 1, 1991 and continues to be used during the clinical health evaluation. It is a more thorough review of the participant's health status than was used prior to that date, but has markedly increased the time taken for the health evaluation, and for the time required to complete and sign out the charts. A revised physical examination protocol has been completed, but implementation has had to be delayed because of the new health questionnaire. Currently, we are developing an interval version of the health questionnaire to be used at visits subsequent to when the participant has completed the new health questionnaire. The interval questionnaire will probe changes in responses from one point in time to the next. Its goal is to identify the nature and degree that a symptom affects the life of the subject. A physical functioning inventory that will probe for mild to moderate disability has been developed and is about to be implemented into the clinical evaluation. A research project was completed to examine the variability in blood pressure observed during the physical evaluation. the study resulted in standardizing when during the clinical evaluation the blood pressure is taken.
