Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Does the COPD assessment test (CAT(TM)) questionnaire produce similar results when self- or interviewer administered?
The COPD assessment test (CAT) is a questionnaire that assesses the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on health status, but some patients have difficulties filling it up by themselves. We examined whether the mode of administration of the Spanish version of CAT (self vs. interviewer) influences its scores and/or psychometric properties. ⋯ The mode of administration does not influence CAT scores or its psychometric properties. Hence, both modes of administration can be used in clinical practice depending on the physician judgment of patient's capacity.
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Patient satisfaction research in chronic pain treatment is scarce internationally and is nonexistent in Chinese communities like Hong Kong. This longitudinal study examined the relationships between medical adherence, pain treatment satisfaction, disability, and quality of life (QoL) in a sample of Chinese patients with chronic pain. ⋯ Distinct trajectories in pain treatment satisfaction were displayed in the current sample of Chinese patients with different disability grading chronic pain. Within pain treatment, only medication characteristics significantly impacted patients' medical adherence.
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To conduct a comparative analysis of eight pediatric self-report scales for ages 8-17 years from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS(®)) in six pediatric chronic health conditions, using indicators of disease severity. ⋯ PROMIS measures discriminate between different clinically meaningful subgroups within several chronic illnesses. Further research is needed to determine the responsiveness of the PROMIS pediatric scales to change over time.
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Items (or indicators) that constitute "quality of life" instruments can be classified as either reflective (manifestations of some underlying construct), causal (the construct is an effect of the indicators), or composite (the construct is an exact linear combination of the indicators). Psychometric methods based on inter-item associations are only appropriate for reflective indicators, whereas other statistical and non-statistical validation methods can be used for composite or causal indicators. Thus, the distinction has important practical, as well as theoretical, implications. ⋯ Whether an indicator forms a composite, is causal or reflective of quality of life will depend on the definition adopted, and therefore, the reflective-composite-causal distinction is, arguably, best established on conceptual rather empirical grounds, guided by the "mental experiments" suggested by Bollen (Structural equations with latent variables, Wiley, New York, 1989). Conceptual models of health status and quality of life, as well as a cognitive-linguistic approach to quality of life assessment, may make some contribution to this practice. Theoretical consideration of indicator content can guide not only instrument development and validation, but also the selection of an appropriate instrument.
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The present study aimed: (1) to test the associations of overall physical fitness and subjective well-being with fibromyalgia severity and (2) to determine whether the combination of overall physical fitness and subjective well-being is associated with fibromyalgia severity among adult women patients. ⋯ Our results suggest that higher levels of overall physical fitness and subjective well-being are independently associated with lower fibromyalgia severity. Moreover, patients with higher overall physical fitness and increased subjective well-being (high positive affect, low negative affect, or high cognitive well-being) reported lower fibromyalgia severity than those with low levels of overall physical fitness and subjective well-being.