Development of a brief questionnaire ( ICQ-S) to monitor inhaled corticosteroid side-effects in clinical practice.

Background Side-effect concerns impede adherence with inhaled corticosteroids ( ICS) and often underlie poor asthma control. We developed a brief version ( ICQ-S) of the 57-item Inhaled Corticosteroids side-effect Questionnaire ( ICQ) to facilitate side-effect monitoring in busy clinics. Methods Part 1: After completion by 482 patients with doctor-diagnosed asthma, each ICQ item underwent item reduction analysis. Part 2: Patients prescribed ICS for asthma completed the ICQ at baseline ( BL), ICQ-S at day 14 (D14) and day 28 (D28), and 6-item Asthma Control Questionnaire ( ACQ) and Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini AQLQ) at BL, D14 and D28. 14-day test-retest reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC) between ICQ-S scores and internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficient and item-total correlations of ICQ-S. Criterion validity was assessed by correlations (Spearman's rho) between ICQ and ICQ-S total score. Patients reported duration and difficulty of ICQ-S completion at D28. Results Part 1: The ICQ-S consists of fifteen local/systemic ICS side-effects of similar range to the full ICQ. Part 2: 62 asthma patients (mean ACQ score 0.79 ± SD 0.83) prescribed daily ICS [ BDP-equivalent median dose 1000 μg ( IQR: 500, 1000)] participated. ICC between ICQ-S scores was 0.90. All item-total correlations were rho ≥ 0.20. The ICQ-S demonstrated criterion validity, for example, ICQ and ICQ-S were strongly associated (rho = 0.86). 81% of patients completed the ICQ-S within 5 minutes and 97% found completion 'not difficult'. Conclusion The ICQ-S is a brief, patient-friendly tool with good reliability and validity, which may be useful for monitoring ICS side-effects in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]