Health related quality of life (HRQL) scoring (DR-12 score) in tuberculosis--additional evaluative tool under DOTS

The study was conducted among patients diagnosed as pulmonary or extra pulmonary tuberculosis attending DOTS facilities at New Delhi Tuberculosis Centre, Delhi. The objectives of the study are; to evaluate the impairment of health related quality of life in patients of tuberculosis by evolving a HRQL questionnaire (DR-12 score) and to validate the new scoring method by making serial assessments of health related quality of life of the patients during anti-tubercular therapy initially, at the end of intensive phase (IP) and at the completion of treatment. Seventy eight consecutive patients aged between 15-60 years put on DOTS treatment at New Delhi Tuberculosis Centre, Delhi were subjected to a HRQL questionnaire (DR-12 score) at 0 week, 8 weeks and at the completion of treatment. The new scoring method contained questions on twelve parameters related to symptoms, physiological, psychological and social well-being of TB patients. The patients were asked to evaluate these twelve parameters on a score of 1-3. All the individual parameters were equally weighted. The data so obtained regarding these scores was analysed using unpaired t-test, paired t-test, one way Anova test and Pearson corelation coefficient test. The patients who converted at the end of intensive phase had a significantly higher gain in scores as against, those who failed to convert even after extension of intensive phase (p=0.019). Significantly higher scores were observed among those who had a favourable outcome as against those who had unfavourable outcome at the completion of treatment (p=0.029). Thus, DR-12 score was found to have a strong construct validity and useful additional evaluative tool for patients under DOTS therapy.