[Development and psychometric validation of a new screening questionnaire for erectile dysfunction (SQUED...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Andrology
• Primary Care Medicine

Background:

• Erectile dysfunction (ED) screening requires simple, reliable, and valid tools for primary care.
• Existing screening methods may lack ease of use or validation in primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Short Questionnaire to Evaluate Erectile Dysfunction (SQUED).
• To create an easy-to-use diagnostic tool for primary care physicians to screen for ED.

Main Methods:

• The SQUED was developed through concept identification, item generation, and face validity testing.
• Psychometric validation involved an observational, multicenter study with comparison to specialist diagnosis (IIEF).
• Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, sensitivity, and specificity were evaluated.

Main Results:

• The SQUED demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and good test-retest reliability (Kappa = 0.77).
• The questionnaire showed strong diagnostic accuracy with sensitivity of 0.87 and specificity of 0.78.
• A cutoff score of 12 was established for the SQUED.

Conclusions:

• The SQUED is a simple, reliable, and validated instrument for screening erectile dysfunction.
• It serves as a valuable, concise tool for primary care physicians to identify patients with ED.
• The questionnaire's simplicity facilitates potential cultural adaptation and translation.