About the HOOS-12 - Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (Short Form)
The HOOS-12 is a concise, 12-item version of the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) designed to assess hip-related pain, function, and quality of life with reduced respondent burden. It includes questions about pain frequency and during activities, difficulty with daily tasks, and how your hip problem affects your daily life. The HOOS-12 provides three subscale scores plus a Summary Hip Impact Score, making it particularly useful in clinical settings where time efficiency is important.
Medical Specialties
Anatomic Areas
Clinical Indications
Developer Information
The HOOS-12 was developed from the original 40-item HOOS questionnaire through item reduction studies. The original HOOS was developed as a hip-specific extension of the KOOS by Dr. Ewa Roos and colleagues. The 12-item short form was validated to maintain the psychometric properties of the full instrument while reducing respondent burden, with Cronbach alpha values ranging from 0.77 to 0.84 across subscales.
Copyright & Licensing
The HOOS-12 is protected by international copyright as part of the HOOS/KOOS family of instruments. Permission for use must be obtained from the developers or through Mapi Research Trust. The questionnaire is freely available for clinical and research use with proper citation, but requires permission for commercial applications or electronic implementations. Contact: www.koos.nu or ePROVIDE™ platform.
Administration Instructions
Answer all questions about your hip based on your experiences over the past week. Select the response that best describes your situation. If you did not perform an activity, give your best estimate of your ability.
Scoring Methodology
The HOOS-12 uses a 5-point Likert scale (0-4) for each question: 0 = No problems, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Severe, 4 = Extreme problems. Each subscale score is calculated using the formula: Score = 100 - ((sum of items × 100) / max possible score). This results in a 0-100 scale where 100 represents no problems and 0 represents extreme problems. A Summary Hip Impact Score is calculated as the average of the three subscale scores. Higher scores indicate better hip function.
Meaningful Change Threshold
A change of 8-10 points in any subscale score or the Summary Hip Impact Score is considered clinically significant. The HOOS-12 has demonstrated comparable responsiveness to the full HOOS questionnaire.
Score Interpretation
Understanding what your score means
poor
0 - 39Extreme problems - poor hip function with major impact on daily life
fair
40 - 59Severe problems - fair hip function with significant limitations
good
60 - 79Moderate problems - good hip function with some limitations
excellent
80 - 100Mild problems - excellent hip function with minimal impact on activities
Subscales
This questionnaire measures multiple dimensions
Quality of Life (0-100)
Evaluates awareness of hip problem, lifestyle modifications, confidence in hip, and overall difficulty
Pain (0-100)
Assesses hip pain frequency and severity during walking, stairs, and at rest
Summary Hip Impact Score (0-100)
Average of Pain, Function, and QoL subscale scores providing an overall measure of hip health
Function, Daily Living (0-100)
Measures difficulty with daily activities including rising, standing, getting in/out of car, and walking on uneven surfaces
Clinical Limitations & Considerations
The HOOS-12 is self-reported and subject to patient perception and mood. As a shortened version, it may have reduced sensitivity to detect small changes compared to the full HOOS. It does not include the Symptoms or Sport/Recreation subscales from the full HOOS. The Summary Score requires all three subscale scores to be calculated. Cultural and linguistic adaptations require separate validation.
Supporting Literature
Key validation and development studies for the HOOS-12 - Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (Short Form)
- 1
Item selection for 12-item short forms of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS-12) and Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS-12)
Gandek B, Roos EM, Franklin PD, Ware JE Jr
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2019
- 2
A 12-item short form of the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS-12): tests of reliability, validity and responsiveness
Gandek B, Roos EM, Franklin PD, Ware JE Jr
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2019
- 3
Hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS): validity and responsiveness in total hip replacement
Nilsdotter AK, Lohmander LS, Klässbo M, Roos EM
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2003
Related Outcome Measures
Other clinical questionnaires for similar specialties and conditions
Oxford Hip Score
A concise questionnaire evaluating hip-related pain and functional ability in patients undergoing total hip replacement.
iHOT-12
The International Hip Outcome Tool 12 (iHOT-12) is a patient-reported outcome measure designed to assess health-related quality of life in young, active individuals with hip disorders. It comprises 12 items evaluating symptoms, functional limitations, sports participation, and quality of life.
WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index
A questionnaire to assess knee and hip osteoarthritis symptoms, including pain, stiffness, and physical function over the last 48 hours.
Forgotten Joint Score
A questionnaire assessing joint awareness after joint replacement surgery. Measures how well patients can "forget" their artificial joint during daily activities.
VISA-G
An index of the severity of greater trochanteric pain syndrome
VISA-H
An index of the severity of proximal hamstring tendinopathy
This questionnaire is provided free of charge. Patient Watch charges only for platform services (data storage, automated reminders, analytics) - not for use of clinical instruments. This non-commercial model supports academic and clinical use. View full licensing disclosure