• F A Klok, D M Cohn, S Middeldorp, M Scharloo, H R Büller, K W van Kralingen, A A Kaptein, and M V Huisman.
• Section of Vascular Medicine, Department of General Internal Medicine-Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands. F.A.Klok@LUMC.nl
• J. Thromb. Haemost. 2010 Mar 1; 8 (3): 523-32.

BackgroundEven though quality of life (QoL) has become a key component of medical care, there is no instrument available that specifically measures QoL after pulmonary embolism (PE). Recently, the Pulmonary Embolism Quality of Life (PEmb-QoL) Questionnaire has been developed to address this gap.ObjectiveTo evaluate the validity of the PEmb-QoL questionnaire.MethodsWe distributed the PEmb-QoL questionnaire and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire twice among consecutive subjects with a history of objectively confirmed acute PE. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity and criterion validity, and correlations between the PEmb-QoL and clinical patient characteristics were assessed using standard-scale construction techniques.ResultsNinety participants completed the questionnaires twice. Internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach's alpha 0.62-0.94), as well as test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients: 0.78-0.94). Furthermore, correlation between the PEmb-QoL questionnaire and the SF-36 questionnaire supported convergent validity. Age, obesity, cardiopulmonary comorbidity, centrally located PE and a family history of venous thromboembolism were shown to be independent determinants of disease-specific QoL.ConclusionThe PEmb-QoL questionnaire is a reliable instrument to specifically assess QoL following PE, which is helpful in the identification of patients with decreased QoL following acute PE.

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