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QOL Instruments (qol + instruments)
Selected AbstractsAssociation of Extraesophageal Reflux Disease and Sinonasal Symptoms: Prevalence and Impact on Quality of Life,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 12 2007Thomas R. Pasic MD Abstract Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of extraesophageal reflux disease symptoms and their association with sinonasal disorders within a general sample of adults in our community and to determine how these conditions affect perception of general health, sinus-related quality of life (QOL), and perception of reflux and digestive function. Study Design/Methods: A community-dwelling sample of 1,878 adults completed symptom and QOL surveys in a two-stage prospective design: an initial screening questionnaire (n = 1,878) and disease-specific (sinus and reflux/digestion) and general health-related QOL instruments (n = 1,073). Demographic and response data were summarized and analyzed for prevalence and correlations among data sets. Results: Sinonasal symptoms were reported in 71% of subjects who completed the initial screening questionnaire, and reflux-related symptoms were reported by 59% of respondents. The co-occurrence of sinonasal and reflux symptoms was reported by 45% of respondents. Subjects with both sinonasal and reflux symptoms scored significantly worse on the disease-specific and general physical and mental QOL scales than subjects with only reflux or sinonasal symptoms or no symptoms. Conclusions: Symptoms associated with inflammatory sinonasal disorders and gastroesophageal reflux disease are common in the general U.S. adult population and co-occur in the same individuals to a greater degree than can be attributed to chance alone. Co-occurrence was found to be associated with significant declines in both disease-specific and general physical and mental QOL. This finding has implications with regard to pathogenesis and treatment of these disorders. [source] Impact of Aspirin Intolerance on Outcomes of Sinus Surgery,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 5 2007Jamie L. Robinson MD Abstract Objectives: To compare objective and quality of life (QOL) outcomes after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in aspirin (ASA)-tolerant patients and ASA-intolerant patients over intermediate and long-term follow-up. Study Design: Prospective analysis of a cohort of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Methods: Preoperative computed tomography (CT), pre- and postoperative endoscopy, and two validated disease specific QOL instruments, the Rhinosinusitis Disability Index (RSDI) and Chronic Sinusitis Survey (CSS), were collected. Differences in the proportions of patients who improved were analyzed using Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact test. Results: Nineteen ASA-intolerant patients and 104 ASA-tolerant patients were followed for a mean of 17.7 months. Patients with ASA intolerance had significantly worse preoperative CT (P < .0001) and endoscopy scores (P < .0001). After ESS, 57% to 74% of patients improved on endoscopy scores, 63% to 71% improved on the RSDI, and 58% to 73% improved on the CSS; improvement did not significantly differ by ASA status. Conclusions: Similar proportions of ASA-tolerant and ASA-intolerant patients showed improvement on endoscopy and QOL measures after ESS. [source] Sex Differences in Outcomes of Sinus Surgery,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 7 2006Sabrina Mendolia-Loffredo MS Abstract Purpose: Sex has been demonstrated to affect outcome in many diseases. Our current aim is to investigate the relationship between sex and outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Methods: Forty-four males and 73 females undergoing ESS for CRS with a mean follow-up of 1.4 years were evaluated prospectively. Computed tomography (CT), endoscopy, and quality of life (QOL) assessment was performed. Univariate analyses were performed to evaluate whether sex was predictive of outcome. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate sex association with patient factors predictive of outcome. Results: Although no sex differences in CT and endoscopy were observed (CT, P = .107 and endoscopy, P > .1), females consistently scored worse than males on disease-specific QOL pre- and postoperatively. Importantly, there was no effect of sex on improvement/change scores for the QOL instruments. Predictive Models and Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis: Sex was not found to be predictive of QOL or endoscopic outcome. Female sex was, however, associated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) intolerance and depression, both factors that have been associated with poorer outcome. Conclusion: Despite similarities in objective disease measures, females report significantly worse QOL scores pre- and postoperatively. Postoperative improvement did not differ by sex, nor was sex predictive of postoperative outcome. Sex differences in QOL reflect sex differences in ASA intolerance and depression, both more prevalent in females. [source] Laryngeal Preservation With Supracricoid Partial Laryngectomy Results in Improved Quality of Life When Compared With Total Laryngectomy,THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 2 2001Gregory S. Weinstein MD Abstract Objectives/Hypotheses Study 1: To assess the oncologic outcome following supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL). Study 2: To compare the quality of life (QOL) following SCPL to total laryngectomy (TL) with tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP). Study 3: To analyze whole organ TL sections to determine the percentage of lesions amenable to SCPL. Study Design Study 1: A retrospective review of patients who underwent SCPL. Study 2: A non-randomized, prospective study using QOL instruments to compare patients who underwent either SCPL or TL. Study 3: A retrospective histopathologic study of TL specimens assessed for the possibility of performing an SCPL. Methods Study 1: Twenty-five patients with carcinoma of the larynx underwent SCPL between June 1992 and June 1999. Various rates of oncologic outcome were calculated. Study 2: Thirty-one patients participated in the QOL assessment. This included the SF-36 general health status measure, the University of Michigan Head and Neck Quality of Life (HNQOL) instrument, and the University of Michigan Voice-Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) instrument. Study 3: Ninety surgical specimens were obtained and studied from the total laryngectomy cases in the Tucker Collection. Multiple sites were evaluated for the presence of carcinoma. A computer program was written to classify whether the patient was amenable to SCPL. Results Study 1: The overall local control rate was 96% (24/25). The local control rate following SCPL with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP) was 95% (20/21). The local control rate following SCPL with cricohyoidopexy (CHP) was 100% (4/4). Study 2: The SCPL had significantly higher domain scores than TL and TEP in the following categories for the SF-36: physical function, physical limitations, general health, vitality, social functioning, emotional limitations, and physical health summary. The significantly higher domains for the SCPL when compared with the TL and TEP for the HNQOL were eating and pain. Finally, when voice-related QOL was assessed with the V-RQOL, the domains of physical functioning and the total score were significantly better with SCPL when compared with TL and TEP. Study 3: Forty of 90 (44%) laryngeal whole organ specimens were determined to be resectable by SCPL. In 16 (18%) specimens, the patients could have undergone SCPL with CHEP and in 24 (27%) specimens the patients could have undergone SCPL with CHP. Among the 40 (44%) specimens determined to be able to have undergone SCPL, 19 were glottic (1 T1, 15 T2, 3 T3) and 21 were supraglottic (9 T2, 12 T3). Conclusions 1) A review of the literature and an analysis of the data in this study indicate that excellent local control may be expected following SCPL. 2) The QOL following SCPL, as measured by three validated QOL instruments, is superior to TL with TEP. 3) A histologic assessment of whole organ sections of TL specimens indicates that many patients who have been subjected to TL may have been candidates for SCPL. 4) If the indications and contraindications are rigorously adhered to, SCPLs are reasonable alternatives to TL in selected cases. [source] Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF among women following childbirthAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Joan WEBSTER Background:, There is increasing interest in measuring quality of life (QOL) in clinical settings and in clinical trials. None of the commonly used QOL instruments has been validated for use postnatally. Aim:, To assess the psychometric properties of the 26-item WHOQOL-BREF (short version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment) among women following childbirth. Methods:, Using a prospective cohort design, we recruited 320 women within the first few days of childbirth. At six weeks postpartum, participants were asked to complete the WHOQOL-BREF, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Index and the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index. Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF included an analysis of internal consistency, discriminate validity, convergent validity and an examination of the domain structure. Results:, In all, 221 (69.1%) women returned their six-week questionnaire. All domains of the WHOQOL-BREF met reliability standards (alpha coefficient exceeding 0.70). The questionnaire discriminated well between known groups (depressed women and non-depressed women. P , 0.000) and demonstrated satisfactory correlations with the Australian Unity Wellbeing index (r , 0.45). The domain structure of the WHOQOL-BREF was also valid in this population of new mothers, with moderate-to-high correlation between individual items and the domain structure to which the items were originally assigned. Conclusion:, The WHOQOL-BRF is a well-accepted and valid instrument in this population and may be used in postnatal clinical settings or for assessing intervention effects in research studies. [source] FELICITOMETRY: MEASURING THE ,QUALITY' IN QUALITY OF LIFEBIOETHICS, Issue 6 2008CHARLES KOWALSKI ABSTRACT Following Bernheim,1 we examine aspects of ,felicitometrics,'2 the measurement of the ,quality' term in Quality of Life (QOL). Bernheim argued that overall QOL is best captured as the Gestalt3 of a global self-assessment and suggested that the Anamnestic Comparative Self Assessment (ACSA) approach, in which subjects' memories of the best and worst times of their lives are used to anchor a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), provided a serious answer to the serious question, ,How have you been?' Bernheim compares and contrasts the ACSA to multi-item questionnaire QOL instruments, such as the SF-36, concluding that the ACSA has a number of advantages. His discussion assumes that the use of QOL outcomes in clinical trials is both relevant and appropriate. In the present paper, we document the reasonableness of this latter assumption,4 contribute to the characterization of the similarities and differences between multi-item and individualized QOL instruments, and point to some other individualized instruments that may be used in clinical trial contexts. These ,other individualized instruments' differ from the ACSA in fundamental ways; but they are individualized in that the subject defines those areas in his/her life that are most important, and these may vary from subject-to-subject. [source] A qualitative investigation of school-aged children's answers to items from a generic quality of life measureCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2007J. Cremeens Abstract Background, The development of instruments to measure child self-reported quality of life (QOL) is dependent on whether children can understand the concepts behind items. Researchers need more information on how children are interpreting and answering items. This paper aims to investigate the strategies school-aged children use to answer QOL items. Methods, A generic 30-item QOL measure (the TedQL) was administered to 266 healthy children (5,6, 7,9 years old). Children were asked to ,think aloud' while answering a selection of 10 TedQL items (n = 4 ability, n = 4 social, n = 2 mood items), and their responses were recorded verbatim. Results, The strategies children reported using when answering items were coded into five categories: (1) social comparisons; (2) stable character references; (3) concrete examples; (4) other reasons; or (5) no reason given. Concrete examples were used most frequently by children. Strategy type was dependent on age, with 7,9-year-olds reporting social comparisons and concrete examples more frequently than 5,6-year-olds. Five-to-six-year-olds gave no reasons for their response choices more frequently than 7,9-year-olds. Strategy type also differed by item type, with social comparisons used more frequently for ability items, and stable character references for social items. However, concrete examples were used consistently highly across ability and social items. Conclusions, Children aged 5,9 years most commonly report using concrete examples of specific instances when answering QOL items. However, strategy use varies as a function of age and types of items. Our results highlight the importance of keeping in mind children's developmental age when interpreting responses from child QOL instruments. [source] Conceptualising dimensions of quality of life in poverty,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Suzanne M. Skevington Abstract Are existing health-related quality of life (QoL) measures adequate for use in poverty? Focus groups of development researcher-practitioners were convened to discuss QoL in the low,middle-income countries of Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Peru and Thailand. Newly elicited themes were mapped onto the QoL concept consisting of 25 original facets from the WHOQOL-100, plus 24 additional facets derived from five subsequent WHOQOL modules (49 facets) organized in seven domains. Qualitative themes and importance ratings were used to identify seven novel themes that relate to poverty in these countries. Most are not included in QoL instruments: physical fitness & survival, social status, community relations, family life, work opportunity and environment, fairness and equality, and perception of political institutions. Community relations extended the social domain, and a political rights and freedoms domain was consolidated as a seventh domain. This cross-national study provides a new conceptual foundation for the international assessment of QoL in poverty. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Self-perceived health and burden of diabetes in teenagers with type 1 diabetes: psychometric properties of the Swedish measure ,Check your health'ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 3 2010G Viklund Abstract The aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the instrument ,Check your health' in teenagers with type 1 diabetes. The instrument measures ,self-reported health' and ,burden of diabetes'. A convenience sample of 199 teenagers, 12,17 years of age, completed the questionnaires ,Check your health' and DisabKids when visiting the diabetes clinic. Forty-seven patients completed the questionnaires at home a second time. In the reliability test, the correlation between test and retest was found to be satisfactory, (0.94,0.62, except for social burden, 0.41). Convergent validity was moderate (0.62,0.38), while the instrument showed good discriminant validity. Self-reported health and burden of diabetes were different in boys and girls, in patients with good or poor metabolic control or who reported high and low disease severity. The domain burden of diabetes turned out to be very sensitive. Conclusion:, The instrument ,Check your health' showed clinical utility in teenagers with diabetes. Reliability and validity tests of the measure showed promising results in Swedish teenagers, and it can probably be used in clinical settings. To further strengthen the convergent validity, it should be compared with other QoL instruments, and to obtain normative values, it has to be used in a larger context. [source] Allergic rhinitis and quality of life: where are we?CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY REVIEWS, Issue 3 2003G. Majani Summary Health-Related Quality of Life (QoL) considers the impact of both illness and treatment on a patient's life as perceived by the patient himself. As well as providing information on how a disease affects a patient's life, QoL instruments could provide important information concerning the treatment outcomes. The SF-36 enlighted a significant impairment in eight of the nine QoL domains in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis, compared to healthy subjects. In seasonal rhinitis a patient's satisfaction profile does not show consistent changes before and after the pollen season. Adherence to treatment and caregivers' and relatives' QoL assessment still deserve more attention. In conclusion there is still a long way to go towards a full knowledge of QoL in allergic rhinitis. [source] | |||||||||||||