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Background: Quality of life of osteoporosis patients had caused widespread concern, due to high incidence and difficulty to cure. Scale specifics for osteoporosis and suitable for Chinese cultural background lacked. This study aimed to develop an osteoporosis scale in Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases system, namely QLICD-OS (V2.0). Methods: Procedural decision-making approach of nominal group, focus group and modular approach were adopted. Our scale was developed based on experience of establishing scales at home and abroad. In this study, Quality of life measurements were performed on 127 osteoporosis patients before and after treatment to evaluate the psychometric properties. Validity was evaluated by qualitative analysis, item-domain correlation analysis, multi-scaling analysis and factor analysis; the SF-36 scale was used as criterion to carry out correlation analysis for criterion-related validity. The reliability was evaluated by the internal consistency coefficients Cronbach's α, test-retest reliability Pearson correlation r. Paired t-tests were performed on data of ​​the scale before and after treatment, with Standardized Response Mean (SRM) being calculated to evaluate the responsiveness. Results: The QLICD-OS, composed of a general module (28 items) and an osteoporosis-specific module (14 items), had good content validity. Correlation analysis and factor analysis confirmed the construct, with the item having a strong correlation (most > 0.40) with its own domains/principle components, and a weak correlation (< 0.40) with other domains/principle components. Correlation coefficient between the similar domains of QLICD-OS and SF-36 showed reasonable criterion-related validity, with all coefficients r being greater than 0.40 exception of physical function of SF-36 and physical domain of QLICD-OS (0.24). Internal consistency reliability of QLICD-OS in all domains was greater than 0.7 except the specific module. The test–retest reliability coefficients (Pearson r) in all domains and overall score are higher than 0.80. Score changes after treatment were statistically significant, with SRM ranging from 0.35 to 0.79, indicating that QLICD-OS could be rated as medium responsiveness. Conclusion: As the first osteoporosis-specific quality of life scale developed by the modular approach in China, the QLICD-OS showed good reliability, validity and medium responsiveness, and could be used to measure quality of life in osteoporosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a more serious threatening to people and suitable for QOL measurement. A few specific QOL instruments are available without considering Chinese culture. The present study was aimed to develop and validate the Rheumatoid Arthritis Scale among the System of Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases (QLICD-RA V2.0). The data collected from 379 patients with RA was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale. The reliability was evaluated by the internal consistency Cronbach's α, test–retest reliability Pearson correlation r and intra-class correlation (ICC). We evaluated the construct validity and criteria-related validity by correlation analysis and structural equation modeling. We compared the differences in scores of QLICD-RA before and after treatment and used the Standard Response Mean (SRM) to assess the responsiveness. The results showed that the internal consistency coefficient Cronbach's α values were greater than 0.70. The correlations r and ICCs were greater than 0.80. The correlation analysis and structural equation modeling confirmed good construct validity and criterion-related validity. The SRM ranges from 0.07 to 0.27 for significant domains/facets. It concluded that QLICD-RA (2.0) is a reliable and valid instrument to measure QOL among patients with RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study is aimed to develop and validate a quality of life scale for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with Chinese cultural background, QLICD-SLE (V2.0). Methods: The QLICD-SLE (V2.0) was developed using a systematic approach that involved focus groups, nominal discussions, and pilot testing. A total of 428 SLE patients participated in the scale's assessment. Validity was examined through qualitative analysis, item domain correlation, multidimensional scaling, and factor analysis. Reliability was assessed using Pearson's correlation and Cronbach's alpha coefficients. To evaluate responsiveness, paired T-tests were conducted to compare pre- and post-treatment measurements with the standardised response mean (SRM) being calculated. Results: Correlation and factor analyses demonstrated strong construct validity. When using SF-36 as criteria, the correlation between various domains of QLICD-SLE and SF-36 ranged from 0.55 to 0.70. Test–retest correlation coefficients exceeded 0.71, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients for both measurements in each domain were greater than or equal to 0.75. T-test results showed that both the overall score and most facet scores within each domain showed statistically significant changes after treatment (P < 0.05), indicating reasonable responsiveness. Conclusion: The QLICD-SLE (V2.0) appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the quality of life in patients with SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]