Initial Evaluation of Pulmonary Hypertension Functional Classification Self-Report Measurement Properties: A...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology and Pulmonary Medicine
• Patient-Reported Outcome Measures
• Health-Related Quality of Life Research

Background:

• Pulmonary hypertension (PH) significantly impairs patients' health-related quality of life.
• The World Health Organization Functional Classification (WHO-FC) is a standard clinical assessment.
• The Pulmonary Hypertension Functional Class Self-Report (PH-FC-SR) was developed to provide a patient's perspective on functional class.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the suitability of the PH-FC-SR for assessing patient-reported functional class in PH.
• To compare the PH-FC-SR with the clinician-assigned WHO-FC.
• To examine the construct validity of the PH-FC-SR against other patient-reported outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Adult patients with PH (WSPH Groups 1-5) completed an online survey including the PH-FC-SR, symptom questions, EmPHasis-10, and SF-36v2.
• Clinician-reported WHO-FC data were collected.
• Concordance between PH-FC-SR and WHO-FC was assessed, alongside correlations with other measures.

Main Results:

• The study included 89 patients, predominantly female and White, with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
• Nearly 50% concordance was found between PH-FC-SR and WHO-FC classifications.
• PH-FC-SR demonstrated moderate to strong correlations with PH symptoms, EmPHasis-10, and SF-36v2 subscales, showing stronger associations than WHO-FC.

Conclusions:

• The patient-reported PH-FC-SR is a valuable tool for capturing the patient perspective on functional class in PH.
• The PH-FC-SR shows a stronger association with patient-reported symptoms and quality of life compared to the physician-assigned WHO-FC.
• This suggests the PH-FC-SR can provide complementary and clinically relevant information in PH management.