This study concerns the development of a short version of a well-known and much used clinimetric instrument called the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). The SIP is a generic measure of functional status. Based on findings of a principal components analysis of over 800 SIPs from a multi-diagnostic population, a selection of 68 items divided over 6 dimensions was made and initially tested. As no support was found for the statistical validity of the categorical structure of the original SIP, a new structure, discovered through principal components analysis, was used as the basis for selecting items. Comparison of the scores on the selection with information provided by the original SIP showed very promising results: the 68 item selection may serve as a valid short SIP-version.