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Purpose: The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Group has developed item banks covering the 14 domains of the EORTC QLQ-C30 quality of life questionnaire. These allow for dynamic assessment and for forming population/study specific static short forms. To simplify selection of relevant short forms, we here present a portfolio of standard short forms with measurement properties optimized for different populations., Methods: For each domain, a brief and a long version were constructed for each of three populations having mild, moderate, and severe symptoms, respectively. The most informative items were prioritised while also taking content into consideration. All short forms included at least one QLQ-C30 item. The measurement precision/power of the short forms was compared to the corresponding QLQ-C30 scales using simulations., Results: In total, 84 short forms were constructed. The brief versions included 3-5 items each, the long versions 5-9 items. Estimated sample size savings using the suggested short forms while maintaining the same power as with the QLQ-C30 ranged 3-50% across domains with median savings of 19% (brief versions) and 28% (long versions), respectively., Conclusion: The suggested short forms allow for simple selection of items particularly relevant for patients with mild, moderate, or severe symptoms, respectively. They facilitate the use of smaller samples without loss of power compared to the QLQ-C30 scales. The suggested short forms may be used as they are or adapted to the specific aims of individual studies/settings., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Chronic oral mucosal diseases have been a common problem, which affected individuals' health and social functions seriously. Although there has been a rigorous Chinese version of the Chronic Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire (COMDQ-26) to measure the quality of life of patients with chronic oral mucosal diseases, 26 items were so redundant to be a burden for patients. It was necessary to make a brief, practical, and easy-to-use tool in China. This study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the short-form Chronic Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire (COMDQ-15)., Methods: A total of 165 respondents from a tertiary stomatological hospital were recruited in this study from July to December, 2020. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion validity, confirmatory factor analysis, and exploratory factor analysis were used to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of Chronic Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire-15., Results: The total Cronbach's α of 0.841 and subscale ranging from 0.736 to 0.965 revealed good internal consistency of the reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficients exceeded 0.80 indicated excellent test-retest reliability. Compared with the Oral Health Impact Profile-14, the criterion validity was 0.549. The confirmatory factor analysis results supported acceptable validity of the Chinese version of Chronic Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire-15, and the exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the 15 items were classified into four domains, with a cumulative proportion of 71.52%., Conclusion: The Chinese version of Chronic Mucosal Diseases Questionnaire-15 is a brief and low-burden tool, and has been proved reliable and valid to assess the quality of life of patients with chronic oral mucosal diseases in China (the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (no. ChiCTR2000031607)., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: A spinal cord injury (SCI) has a large impact on a person's physical, psychological, and social health. Previous studies focused on physical recovery in patients with SCI and assessed their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) with general questionnaires, which often contain irrelevant questions. The SCI-QOL questionnaire was developed to specifically assess the HRQOL of the SCI population. A comprehensive translation and cross-cultural adaptation are required to use this questionnaire in the Netherlands and Flanders, Belgium., Methods: All 23 short forms of the SCI-QOL for adults were translated from English into Dutch-Flemish using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy translation methodology, with a cognitive debriefing being performed with 10 patients with SCI and 10 persons from the general population., Results: The Dutch-Flemish PROMIS group previously translated 46 of the 207 items in the 23 short forms. Here, we achieved an acceptable translation of the other 161 items. A single Dutch-Flemish translation was obtained for 20 short forms, while separate Dutch and Flemish translations were necessary for the short forms Ambulation, Manual Wheelchair, and Stigma., Conclusion: The Dutch-Flemish translation of the SCI-QOL is now available for clinical and research purposes. Future studies should focus on the psychometric properties of this cross-culturally adapted version., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: This investigation aimed to estimate reliability of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and quality of life of patients after PCI or CABG surgery., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 268 patients after PCI or CABG surgery were studied in East Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions of Kazakhstan from September to December 2019. The Russian version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to measure their quality of life. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, Pearson's correlation coefficient, paired t-test, independent t-test, and linear regression model were used to analyze the data., Results: The mean age of the participants was 60.8 ± 9.2 years, while most of them were male (75.0 %). The overall observed Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the WHOQOL-BREF was 0.842, ranging from 0.668 to 0.764 in its four domains. The total mean score of the respondents on the WHOQOL-BREF was 13.97. The highest and lowest mean scores were observed in the environmental domain (15.22) and the physical health domain (13.00), respectively., Conclusions: The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire has a good reliability in characterizing the quality of life of patients after PCI or CABG surgery. Patients after PCI or CABG surgery had a relatively moderate quality of life (Tab. 6, Ref. 23).

Background: The 24-item Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) is the most widely-used and well-validated tool for measuring recovery for people with mental illness. The current study aims to assess the reliability and validity of an 8-item short form of RAS (RAS-8) among a Chinese sample of people living with schizophrenia., Methods: A sample of 400 people living with schizophrenia were recruited for scale validation. Internal consistency was tested by calculating Cronbach's α. Test-retest reliability was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the total score and weighted kappa for each item. Factor structure was tested with confirmatory factor analysis, and concurrent validity was examined by investigating the correlation of the RAS-8 with patient symptoms, disability, depression, anxiety, patient functioning, quality of life and general health., Results: The RAS-8 full scale and subscales showed good internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.87 to 0.92. ICC of 0.99 and weighted kappa ranged from 0.62 to 0.88, which generally indicates good test-retest reliability. The findings supported an a priori two-factor structure, χ 2 /df = 2.93, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.07, SRMR = 0.035. Concurrent validity of the RAS-8 was further supported by its significant negative correlations with patient symptoms (r =  -0.24, p < 0.01), disability (r =  -0.30, p < 0.01), depression (r =  -0.16, p < 0.05), and anxiety (r =  -0.14, p < 0.05), and its significant positive relationships with patient functioning (r = 0.26, p < 0.01), quality of life (r = 0.39, p < 0.01) and general health (r = 0.34, p < 0.01)., Conclusions: This study confirmed the reliability and validity of an 8-item short-form RAS for people living with schizophrenia in Chinese communities. The validation of the RAS-8 allows for its use as an alternative for the full RAS as a rapid assessment tool in clinical and research settings. The findings are discussed for their implications for application and validation with other populations and in other countries.

Objectives: The Singapore Caregiver Quality of Life Scale (SCQOLS) comprises five domains and 51 items in total. This study aimed to develop and evaluate short forms of SCQOLS., Study Design and Setting: Data were collected from 612 family caregivers of patients with advanced cancers in Singapore. Exploratory factor analysis and best subset regression were used to identify candidate items for each domain. The short forms were evaluated for measurement properties., Results: Inclusion of at least two items per domain in the short form gave correlation coefficients of at least 0.8 with the corresponding domain scores in the full-length version. The short forms and full-length version had similar correlation coefficients with Negative Personal Impact and Positive Personal Impact measures. Two of the five domains of the 10-item version had Cronbach's alpha ≤0.50 and test-retest reliability ≤0.65. A 15-item version of the scale with two to four items per domain performed satisfactorily in all aspects evaluated., Conclusion: A 15-item short form of the SCQOLS (SCQOLS-15) is valid and reliable for the assessment of the overall and domain-specific quality of life of family caregivers. A 10-item short form (SCQOLS-10) may serve as a quick, valid and reliable assessment of the overall level of quality of life., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Work-Related Quality of Life Scale (WRQLS) was developed by Van Laar et al. The Thai version was developed and could be completed in 13.4 min on average with some items having a factor loading of less than 0.4. The aims of this study were (a) to develop a brief Thai version of the WRQLS (brief THWRQLS), and (b) to assess its validity and reliability. A descriptive correlation study was performed with the components of THWRQLS selected based on statistical and judgmental criteria. The statistical criteria were developed using secondary data from 320 physicians identifying discrimination, internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The judgmental criteria included content validity and agreement by five experts. The web-based brief THWRQLS was then used by 250 health personnel, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted and internal consistency assessed. The brief THWRQLS consisted of seven dimensions, encompassing 25 of the original 32 items. The CFA revealed that most of the standardized factor loadings were greater than 0.5. The 2 goodness of fit was 268.772 (p < 0.01), the comparative fit index was 0.971, the root mean square error of approximation was 0.039, and the standardized root mean square residual was 0.049. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.94, and almost all dimensions were greater than 0.7 except for that of "stress at work," which was 0.53. In conclusion, the brief THWRQLS appeared to be valid, and the reliability was acceptable, except in the dimension of "stress at work.", Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: The adoption of the Chronic Oral Mucosal Disease Questionnaire (COMDQ) into clinical practice has been low, despite its rigorous development process. A potential limitation of the COMDQ is the high response burden to patients. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to develop and validate a short version of the 26-item COMDQ., Methods: The COMDQ data of 520 patients with chronic oral mucosal diseases were randomly divided into two subsamples. Descriptive item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were performed using data from the first subsample for item reduction and development of the shortened COMDQ. The resulting short version was then validated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the other subsample. Internal consistency reliability of the short-form COMDQ was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity of this new scale was examined against its original version., Results: Based upon item analysis, 11 items were dropped. EFA results on the remaining 15 items extracted four factors consistent with the original COMDQ, and CFA results displayed acceptable goodness-of-fit indices of this factor structure on different sample. The COMDQ-15 was then created. Cronbach's alpha of four subscale scores ranged from 0.7 to 0.91, indicating good internal consistency reliability of the COMDQ-15. Correlations between total and subscale scores of the COMDQ-15 and its parent scale were high, supporting good criterion validity of this shortened scale., Conclusion: The COMDQ-15 is a brief, valid and reliable instrument that can give an overview of the patient's quality of life related to their chronic oral mucosal conditions., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: In the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), seven domains (Physical Function, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Social Function, and Pain Interference) are packaged together as profiles. Each of these domains can also be assessed using computer adaptive tests (CATs) or short forms (SFs) of varying length (e.g., 4, 6, and 8 items). We compared the accuracy and number of items administrated of CAT versus each SF., Methods: PROMIS instruments are scored using item response theory (IRT) with graded response model and reported as T scores (mean = 50, SD = 10). We simulated 10,000 subjects from the normal distribution with mean 60 for symptom scales and 40 for function scales, and standard deviation 10 in each domain. We considered a subject's score to be accurate when the standard error (SE) was less than 3.0. We recorded range of accurate scores (accurate range) and the number of items administrated., Results: The average number of items administrated in CAT was 4.7 across all domains. The accurate range was wider for CAT compared to all SFs in each domain. CAT was notably better at extending the accurate range into very poor health for Fatigue, Physical Function, and Pain Interference. Most SFs provided reasonably wide accurate range., Conclusions: Relative to SFs, CATs provided the widest accurate range, with slightly more items than SF4 and less than SF6 and SF8. Most SFs, especially longer ones, provided reasonably wide accurate range.

ABSTRACTObjective:Studies of frailty have tended to focus on adverse outcomes. This study aims to develop a short instrument that identifies a positive outcome, namely, the level of well-being in older adults at risk of frailty., Method: 871 older adults (49.4% women; mean age 75.72 years; SD = 8.05) with a frailty risk profile participated in the first wave of the D-SCOPE study. The possible domains of well-being were identified using a bottom-up approach. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) and multidimensional Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis of 17 items in 4 domains measuring well-being was performed on a calibration sample (n = 435) to develop the instrument. The instrument was subsequently corroborated by confirmatory factor analysis and convergent/divergent relations with relevant external measures in a validation sample (n = 436)., Results: The ESEM three-factor solution, with the subdimensions of sense of mastery, meaning in life, and life satisfaction, displayed good fit to the data (RMSEA = 0.070). For each dimension, the three best discriminating items were retained for the instrument following IRT analysis. Internal consistency of these dimensions was good in the validation sample (sense of mastery α = 0.864, meaning in life α = 0.715, and life satisfaction α = 0.782). The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) three-factor model also showed good fit to the data (RMSEA = 0.064). Small to large zero-order correlations with the external measures were as expected., Conclusions: Using a bottom-up approach, this study developed a short instrument to identify levels of well-being in vulnerable or frail older adults. The instrument can be applied in primary care and prevention programs.

Background: To develop a culturally adapted and validated Bengali Short Form SF 12v2 among Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients., Methods: The English SF 12v2 was translated, adapted and back translated into and from Bengali, pre-tested by 60 patients. The Bengali SF 12v2 was administered twice with 14 days interval to 130 Bangladeshi RA patients. The psychometric properties of the Bengali SF 12v2 were assessed. Test-retest reliability was assessed by intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha. Content validity was assessed by index for content validity (ICV) and floor and ceiling effects. To determine convergent and discriminant validity a Bengali Health Assessment Questionnaire (B-HAQ) was used. Factor analysis was done., Results: The Bengali SF 12v2 was well accepted by the patients in the pre-test and showed good reliability. Internal consistency for both physical and mental component was satisfactory; Cronbach's alpha was 0.9. ICC exceeded 0.9 in all domains. Spearman's rho for all domains exceeded 0.8. The physical health component of Bengali SF 12v2 had convergent validity to the B-HAQ. Its mental health component had discriminant validity to the B-HAQ. The ICV of content validity was 1 for all items. Factor analysis revealed two factors a physical and a mental component., Conclusions: The interviewer-administered Bengali SF 12v2 appears to be an acceptable, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring health-related quality of life in Bengali speaking RA patients. Further evaluation in the general population and in different medical conditions should be done.

Background: There is a need for useful standardized Quality of Life (QoL) measures for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. Therefore, a short form of the self-administered Quality of Life in Schizophrenia (QLiS) scale was developed and validated., Methods: Four steps were taken to develop the abridged version using samples from the Clinical Analysis of the Treatment of Schizophrenia (CATS) study. Firstly, a model with second order scales was developed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Secondly, it was tested in an independent sample using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Thirdly, this model served as the basis for selecting items for the short form. Distributional properties, content reviews, and factor loadings were taken into account in this step. Fourthly, the resulting short form was validated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Composite reliability scores were calculated for the new subscales., Results: Three second order scales were constructed: illness-related quality of life (QoL), social life and finances, and global subjective well-being. CFA of the new theoretical model resulted in a CFI of 0.67 and absolute fit indices of CMIN/df = 2.55, RMSEA = 0.08, SRMR = 0.09. The selected 13 items showed good statistical properties and good fit of content to subscale. Fit of the underlying theoretical model with the reduced number of items was tested in an independent sample. Absolute and fit indices of the short form model were satisfactory (CFI = 0.95, CMIN/df = 2.23, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.04). Composite reliability scores for three subscales were above 0.70., Conclusions: The short form of the QLIS (QLiS-SF) showed good model fit and reliability. It should only be considered for use if the application of the long version is not suitable.

Purpose: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by myriad symptoms and problems. Fatigue is one of the most common, distressing, and disabling symptoms in FM. The purpose of this study was to use fatigue item banks that were developed as part of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) to devise a self-report measure of fatigue for use in individuals with FM., Methods: A sample of 532 adults with FM (age range = 18-77, 96.1 % female) completed the PROMIS fatigue item bank. Factor analyses and item response theory analyses were used to identify dimensionality and optimally performing items. These data were used in combination with clinical input to select items for a fatigue self-report measure for use in FM., Results: Factor analyses revealed four distinct factors in the PROMIS fatigue item bank; items for each univariate subscale were identified by selecting four items with high item information values. A 16-item measure, the PROMIS FatigueFM Profile, consisting of four 4-item short forms reflecting fatigue experience ("intensity") and fatigue impact in three subdomains-social, cognitive, and motivation-was created. The new PROMIS FatigueFM Profile short forms showed excellent internal reliability, low ceiling and floor effects, and equivalent or higher test information compared to the standard 4- and 7-item PROMIS fatigue short forms., Conclusions: The newly developed PROMIS FatigueFM Profile, a 16-item measure consisting of four 4-item short forms of self-reported fatigue severity, shows early evidence of good psychometric characteristics, provides the ability to use short forms that assess distinct aspects of fatigue experience and fatigue impact, and demonstrates equivalent or higher levels of test information compared to standard PROMIS fatigue short forms with similar number of items. The PROMIS FatigueFM Profile indicated fatigue experience and impact levels approximately 1.5 standard deviations above the normative sample mean across all short forms. Future work to evaluate the validity and reliability of this new measure in individuals with FM is needed.

Objectives: Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) is currently assessed by long questionnaires, which limits its applicability as an outcome measure in orthodontic practice and research. The aim of the study was to evaluate a shortened measure with a low response burden for assessing OHRQOL in children., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 243 prospective orthodontically treated children (12 percent cleft lip, 68 percent with definite objective treatment need, 20 percent borderline objective treatment need) collected data on OHRQOL using the 38-item version of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP-38) and general health perception (GHP), and subjectively and objectively measured orthodontic treatment need. Eleven items of the COHIP-38 were selected for the short version of the questionnaire (COHIP-ortho). Score distributions, internal consistency, construct and criterion validity, as well as subgroup analysis were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of both questionnaires. The performances of COHIP-ortho and COHIP-38 were compared., Results: The internal consistency was somewhat lower for the COHIP-ortho compared with the COHIP-38, but on an acceptable level for both questionnaires. The correlations between COHIP-ortho scores and COHIP-38 overall as well as subscale scores were excellent. COHIP-ortho performed adequately regarding construct and criterion validity related to most sample characteristics compared with the performance of the COHIP-38., Conclusion: The COHIP-ortho is as valid as the COHIP-38 for assessing OHRQOL in children. With a low response burden for patients or study participants, reduced cost, and less time needed for administration, the COHIP-ortho simplifies the investigation of OHRQOL in orthodontics., (© 2015 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.)

Objectives: To develop a short form of the knee and hip osteoarthritis quality of life questionnaire, the Mini-OAKHQOL, preserving the conceptual model and, as far as possible, the content and the psychometric properties of the original instrument., Study Design and Setting: A two-step shortening procedure was used: (1) a consensus Delphi method, with a panel of patients and another of professionals independently asked to select items and (2) a nominal group, where patients, professionals, and methodologists reached consensus on the final selection of items, using information from the panels and from modern measurement and classical test theory analyses. The psychometric properties of the Mini-OAKHQOL were assessed in an independent population-based sample of 581 subjects with knee or hip osteoarthritis., Results: The two-step shortening procedure resulted in a 20-item questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis showed preservation of the original five-dimensional structure. Rasch analyses showed the unidimensionality and invariance by sex, age, and joint of the main dimensions. Convergent validity, reproducibility, and internal consistency were similar to or better than those of the original OAKHQOL., Conclusions: The 20-item Mini-OAKHQOL has good psychometric properties and can be used for the measurement of quality of life in subjects with osteoarthritis of the lower limbs., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To elicit utility-based quality of life (QOL) in adolescents and young adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD)., Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients aged 12-25 years with CKD stage 3-5 and 5D from 6 centers in Australia. QOL was measured using a visual analogue scale, and 3 utility-based QOL measures: Health Utilities Index Mark 2 and 3 (HUI2/3), Kidney Disease Quality of Life, incorporating the short form (SF)-12 transformed to SF-6D, and time trade-off (TTO). Multiple linear regression was used to define predictors for TTO QOL weights, SF-6D, and visual analogue scale scores., Results: On a utility scale, with extremes of 0 (death) to 1 (full health), the 27 participants had a mean TTO QOL weight of 0.59 (SD = 0.40), HUI2 of 0.73 (SD = 0.28), HUI3 of 0.74 (SD = 0.26), and SF-6D of 0.70 (SD = 0.14). QOL weights were consistently low across the 4 utility-based instruments with widest variability in TTO responses. Mean QOL weights were higher among predialysis participants. The HUI2 indicated variability in the domain of emotion. From the Kidney Disease Quality of Life measures, decrements were observed in all QOL domains though dialysis patients reported a significantly higher burden attributed to kidney disease., Conclusions: Adolescent and young adults with CKD report low QOL values. Their utility-based QOL scores imply they are willing to trade considerable life expectancy for perfect health. Holistic care to improve QOL and minimize disease burden are imperative for optimizing health outcomes in young people with CKD, particularly those on dialysis., (Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

We examined the unidimensionality and Rasch reliability of both Jenkinson's and MacIsaac's eight-item short versions of the Stroke Impact Scale (SF-SIS), a questionnaire for assessing overall health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study was a secondary data analysis in which 263 persons with stroke completed the SIS. The 263 persons, on average, had age of 60 years, mild stroke, and moderate disability of self-care. The unidimensionality of both versions was validated via testing of model fitting and principal component analysis (PCA) of residuals using the Rasch analysis to determine the Rasch reliability and measures. The eight items in both SF-SIS versions met the criteria of infit and outfit MNSQ (<1.4 and >0.6), indicating good data-model fit. The PCA showed that no dominant factors existed in the residuals of the items. The person reliability of Jenkinson's and MacIsaac's SF-SIS versions was 0.80 and 0.79, respectively. The Rasch measures (i.e., person measure in logits) ranged from −1.06 to 1.87 in Jenkinson's SF-SIS and −0.82 to 1.88 in MacIsaac's version. The unidimensionality of both versions was supported. The Rasch measures of both appear valid for representing overall HRQOL levels. Both versions also showed acceptable reliability for research purposes. The unidimensionality was justified for both versions (Jenkinson's and MacIsaac's eight-item short-versions of Stroke Impact Scale). The Rasch scores of both versions appear valid for representing overall health-related quality of life. Both versions showed acceptable reliability for research purposes, but not sufficiently reliable for clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This investigation aimed to estimate reliability of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and quality of life of patients after PCI or CABG surgery. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 268 patients after PCI or CABG surgery were studied in East Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions of Kazakhstan from September to December 2019. The Russian version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument, Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to measure their quality of life. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, Pearson's correlation coefficient, paired t-test, independent t-test, and linear regression model were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 60.8 ± 9.2 years, while most of them were male (75.0 %). The overall observed Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the WHOQOL-BREF was 0.842, ranging from 0.668 to 0.764 in its four domains. The total mean score of the respondents on the WHOQOL-BREF was 13.97. The highest and lowest mean scores were observed in the environmental domain (15.22) and the physical health domain (13.00), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire has a good reliability in characterizing the quality of life of patients after PCI or CABG surgery. Patients after PCI or CABG surgery had a relatively moderate quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Purpose The Singapore Caregiver Quality of Life Scale – Dementia (SCQOLS-D), developed based on the Singapore Caregiver Quality of Life Scale (SCQOLS), comprises 5 domains and 63 items. It has been shown to be a valid and reliable measurement scale. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a short form of the SCQOLS-D. Methods Data were collected from 102 family caregivers of person with dementia in Singapore. Candidate items were shortlisted by factor analysis, correlation and best subset regression. Shortlisted items with the best measurement properties including correlations with the long form and other established measures, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were identified. Their properties were compared with the corresponding domain scores in the long form of SCQOLS-D and a short form of the SCQOLS. A total score based on the average of the domain scores was also evaluated. Results A total of fifteen items, two to four items per domain, were selected. The total and domain scores generated from these items strongly correlated with the corresponding score of the long form (correlation coefficients: 0.83–0.97). The short and long forms had comparable correlation coefficients with Negative Personal Impact and Positive Personal Impact measures. The short form showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.84–0.92) and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.72–0.93). These 15 items form the SCQOLS-D-15, an abbreviated version of the SCQOLS-D. Conclusion The SCQOLS-D-15 showed acceptable measurement properties. This serves as an alternative to the SCQOLS-D to provide rapid assessment of the overall and domain-specific quality of life of caregivers of persons with dementia.

Purpose: The Singapore Caregiver Quality of Life Scale – Dementia (SCQOLS-D), developed based on the Singapore Caregiver Quality of Life Scale (SCQOLS), comprises 5 domains and 63 items. It has been shown to be a valid and reliable measurement scale. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a short form of the SCQOLS-D. Methods: Data were collected from 102 family caregivers of person with dementia in Singapore. Candidate items were shortlisted by factor analysis, correlation and best subset regression. Shortlisted items with the best measurement properties including correlations with the long form and other established measures, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were identified. Their properties were compared with the corresponding domain scores in the long form of SCQOLS-D and a short form of the SCQOLS. A total score based on the average of the domain scores was also evaluated. Results: A total of fifteen items, two to four items per domain, were selected. The total and domain scores generated from these items strongly correlated with the corresponding score of the long form (correlation coefficients: 0.83–0.97). The short and long forms had comparable correlation coefficients with Negative Personal Impact and Positive Personal Impact measures. The short form showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.84–0.92) and test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.72–0.93). These 15 items form the SCQOLS-D-15, an abbreviated version of the SCQOLS-D. Conclusion: The SCQOLS-D-15 showed acceptable measurement properties. This serves as an alternative to the SCQOLS-D to provide rapid assessment of the overall and domain-specific quality of life of caregivers of persons with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This was a cross-sectional single cantered study carried on in 52 patients who had undergone renal transplantation before not less than a year ago. Aim and objectives: Study aimed to measure HRQOL (Health related quality of life) after transplantation in socio-demographic, clinical and psychological aspects. Materials and methods: Materials used for assessing QOL were a generic questionnaire and SF-36 health survey. Components from KTQ were also included in questionnaire. Patients who visited Govt. Stanley Hospital Nephrology OP clinic for follow up after transplantation were requested to give an interview through which the above mentioned questionnaires were completed. Results: Univariate analysis in our study showed significant correlation for the variables female sex, unemployment, not doing same job after transplantation, high blood pressure, side effects related to general health and mental health. Multivariate regression analysis revealed side effects related general health and mental health were significant. Conclusion: Socio-demographic factors such as female gender, unemployment, not doing same job as before transplantation influence quality of life in our group of patients. Among the medical characteristics, systemic hypertension is the most common predicting factor. Side effects in general health and mental health significantly affect quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To test the psychometric properties of the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index in a Brazilian sample. Methods: The sample consisted of 151 patients and 174 healthy controls (n=325). Several psychometric properties were tested. Results: Reliability showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.81). The measure showed good discriminant validity between patients and healthy controls (mean1 = 3.32, SD1 = 0.70; mean2 = 3.77, SD2 = 0.63, t = 6.12, p < 0.001). Convergent validity showed significant correlations (p < 0.001) between the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index and all domains of the WHOQOL-Bref (overall r = 0.47; general health r = 0.54; physical r = 0.69; psychological r = 0.62; social relationship r = 0.55; environment r = 0.55) and between the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index and the domains of the SF-36, except for the social domain (p = 0.38). On Rasch analysis of unidimensionality, general fit measures showed adequate performance. The EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index also showed good fit on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (chi-square = 18.46, degrees of freedom [df] = 15; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.99; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.03; goodness of fit index [gfi] = 0.99; root mean square residual [RMR] = 0.03; p = 24). Conclusion: The EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index showed good psychometric properties. It is a reliable quality of life measure that can be used in Brazilian populations.

Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) is a generic health-related quality of life instrument that produces subscale scores about six domains of well-being and a global score. A literature review showed that the factor validity was good for the global score but was poor for the subscale scores. The aim of the study was to develop two short forms of the instrument that produce equivalent global well-being scores. Data gathered from two samples of healthy people coming from the North, the Center, and the South of Italy were employed for the development (N = 428) and for the assessment of measurement invariance (N = 220) of the two forms. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to derive the two forms and to test their invariance. The two forms (PGWBI-A and PGWBI-B) showed items' partial measurement invariance and their global scores showed good internal coherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few cross-cultural measures are available to assess quality of life (QoL) in HIV/AIDS. A short form of the WHOQOL-HIV-the WHOQOL-HIV BREF-was developed and tested. Survey data from 1,923 HIV-positive adults (selected for age, gender and disease stage) were collected in 8 culturally diverse centres. The 'best' HIV-specific item was extracted from five HIV facets of the WHOQOL-HIV long form using information about item correlations with QoL, health and domains, item discriminant validity and centre problems. The five identified items were then integrated with the WHOQOL-BREF to complete the 31 item WHOQOL-HIV BREF. This short form shows good internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity for 'known' disease stages. Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed an overall good fit for a six domains model (Comparative Fit Index = 0.97), supporting scoring. Quality of life in different cultures is reported. A value of the WHOQOL-HIV short form is in monitoring QoL in multi-national clinical trials, and in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As quality of life (QoL) research is increasingly focusing on children and adolescents with haemophilia, the need for both age-appropriate and disease-specific assessment tools becomes apparent. Therefore, a set of questionnaires measuring QoL in children and adolescents with haemophilia was simultaneously developed in six languages within the European Haemo-QoL project ( Haemophilia, 8, 2002, 47; Haemophilia, 10, 2004, 17). For implementation in larger studies and for use in daily clinical routine, a both short and psychometrically robust version of the questionnaire is needed. Using from the Haemo-QoL field study complete data sets of 306 children and adolescents (4–16 years) and their parents, a multivariate approach of item selection was applied to construct an eight-item instrument, the Haemo-QoL Index. The instrument is applicable to different age groups and represents the core content as well as the multidimensional structure of the original long versions. According to preliminary analyses, the index's psychometric performance concerning reliability and convergent validity is good. Further validation of the instrument's performance on a new and independent sample is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Quality of life (QoL) of patients has become a central evaluation parameter that also acts as an aid for decisions related to treatment strategies particularly for patients with chronic illnesses. In Germany, one of the newer instruments attempting to measure distinct QoL aspects is the "Herdecke Questionnaire for Quality of Life" (HLQ). In this study, we aimed to validate the HLQ with respect to its factorial structure, and to develop a short form. The validation has been carried out in relation to other questionnaires including the SF-36 Health Survey, the Mood-Scale Bf-S, the Giessen Physical Complaints Questionnaire GBB-24 and McGill's Pain Perception Scale SES. Methods Data for this study derived from a model project on the treatment of patients using naturopathy methods in Blankenstein Hospital, Hattingen. In total, 2,461 patients between the ages of 16 and 92 years (mean age: 58.0 ± 13.4 years) were included in this study. Most of the patients (62%) suffered from rheumatic diseases. Factorial validation of the HLQ, it's reliability and external consistency analysis and the development of a short form were carried out using the SPSS software. Results Structural analysis of the HLQ-items pointed to a 6-factor model. The internal consistency of both the long and the short version is excellent (Cronbach's α is 0.935 for the HLQ-L and 0.862 for the HLQ-S). The highest reliability in the HLQ-L was obtained for the "Initiative Power and Interest" scale, the lowest for the 2-item scales "Digestive Well-Being" and the "Physical Complaints". However, the scales found by factor analysis herein were only in part congruent with the original 5-scale model which was approved a multitrait analysis approach. The new instrument shows good correlations with several scales of other relevant QoL instruments. The scales "Initiative Power and Interest", "Social Interaction", "Mental Balance", "Motility", "Physical Complaints", "Digestive Well-Being" sufficiently differentiate the diagnostic groups, particularly between the patients suffering on connective tissue and soft tissue disorders from those with metabolic and nutritional disorders or hypersensitivity reactions. Conclusion Both the factorial validation and the development of a consistent short-form of the HLQ are important steps forward for researchers in the field of QoL who wish to use the HLQ as a reliable and valid instrument. The results indicate that the HLQ is a unique QoL-instrument that can be used for both in-patient and out-patient-treatment. However, to improve to profile of the HLQ, there is still the need for strengthening the Questionnaire in the dimensions of physical well-being. This is the subject of a separate ongoing study.