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A cardiovascular extension of the Health Measurement Questionnaire
A J Martin1, P P Glasziou, R J Simes
1NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Insights
The Utility Based Quality of Life--Heart (UBQ-H) questionnaire demonstrates strong reliability and validity for assessing cardiovascular patient quality of life. This tool accurately measures health status and responsiveness to adverse events in cardiac patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Health Outcomes Research
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Quality of life is a critical outcome measure in cardiovascular disease management.
- Existing utility-based questionnaires may not adequately capture the nuances of cardiovascular health status.
- Development of a specialized instrument is needed to accurately assess quality of life in cardiac patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Utility Based Quality of Life--Heart (UBQ-H) questionnaire, a cardiovascular extension of the Health Measurement Questionnaire.
- To assess the test-retest reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness of the UBQ-H.
Main Methods:
- The UBQ-H was administered to two samples: 322 patients from cardiac outpatient clinics and 1112 patients from the LIPID trial.
- Psychometric properties including internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation), construct validity, and responsiveness were analyzed.
Main Results:
- High response rates (90%) and item completion were observed for the UBQ-H.
- Excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.79-0.91) and good test-retest reliability (0.65-0.81) were confirmed.
- The UBQ-H demonstrated strong construct validity, correlating significantly with other quality-of-life measures and distinguishing between patient groups. It was also responsive to health changes associated with hospitalization.
Conclusions:
- The modified Health Measurement Questionnaire, now the UBQ-H, is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing quality of life in cardiovascular patients.
- The UBQ-H effectively captures health status and changes in quality of life relevant to cardiac conditions.
- This questionnaire provides a valuable tool for research and clinical practice in cardiology.
Objective:
To investigate the psychometric properties of a cardiovascular extension of an existing utility-based quality of life questionnaire (Health Measurement Questionnaire). The new instrument has been named the Utility Based Quality of life--Heart questionnaire, or UBQ-H.
Design:
Explored the test-retest reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness of the UBQ-H.
Patients:
A sample of 322 patients attending cardiac outpatient clinics were recruited from two large metropolitan teaching hospitals. A second sample of 1112 patients taking part in the LIPID trial was also used to investigate the validity and responsiveness of the UBQ-H.
Results:
Ninety per cent of all UBQ-H questionnaires were returned, and item completion rates were high (median of less than 1% missing or N/A answers). Cronbach's alpha measure of internal consistency for the scales ranged between 0.79-0.91, and each item was also most strongly correlated with its hypothesised domain than alternative domains. The intra-class test-retest reliability of the UBQ-H scales ranged from 0.65 to 0.81 for patients with stable health. Results supported the construct validity of the UBQ-H. The UBQ-H was significantly correlated with other information on quality of life (for example, General Health Questionnaire) as anticipated. The instrument was able to distinguish between contrasted groups of patients (for example, with versus without symptoms of dyspnoea, prior myocardial infarction versus none, etc), and was responsive to changes in health associated with adverse events requiring hospitalisation.
Conclusions:
The modifications made to the Health Measurement Questionnaire has resulted in an assessment designed for cardiovascular patients that has proved to be both reliable and valid.
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