Validation of a self-administered urological questionnaire.

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Clinical Research Methodology

Background:

• Self-administered questionnaires are common in clinical practice and research.
• The reliability of these questionnaires for eliciting urological symptoms has not been established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a self-administered questionnaire designed to elicit symptoms of urological disease.
• To assess the reliability and acceptability of the questionnaire in a diverse patient population.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was validated in 120 patients (out-patients, in-patients, and community patients).
• Data collection included acceptability, completion rates, test-retest analysis, and clinician-patient response comparison.
• The questionnaire's ability to identify at-risk patients was evaluated.

Main Results:

• The questionnaire was acceptable to all patients, with a 99% completion rate.
• Test-retest analysis showed high reliability with only 3 out of 648 answers changed.
• Consistency was satisfactory in 11 of 15 urological symptom questions, and it successfully identified high-risk community patients.

Conclusions:

• The validated self-administered questionnaire is a reliable tool for eliciting urological symptoms.
• The study emphasizes the importance of preliminary validation for self-administered questionnaires in research.
• This tool can aid in identifying patients requiring further urological evaluation.