Evaluation of Quality-of-Life Assessment Instruments for Heart Failure Patients: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Health Outcomes Research
• Medical Device Technology

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) impacts over 65 million individuals globally.
• Wearable devices are increasingly integrated into HF management strategies.
• Assessing quality of life (QoL) is crucial for comprehensive HF patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review evaluating the psychometric properties of QoL assessment instruments for HF patients.
• To specifically include QoL instruments applicable to patients using wearable left ventricular assist devices (wLVADs).

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed across medical and allied health databases.
• The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) taxonomy guided the assessment of measurement properties.
• Eighteen studies evaluating QoL instruments in HF populations were selected for review.

Main Results:

• The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Plus-Heart Failure (PROMIS-Plus-HF) demonstrated the highest overall score for psychometric properties.
• Fourteen of the 18 reviewed studies met an acceptable threshold score (≥72) for their instruments.
• Four studies reported scores below the acceptable threshold, indicating potential limitations in their QoL assessment tools.

Conclusions:

• The PROMIS-Plus-HF is recommended as a robust instrument for assessing QoL in HF patients, including those with wLVADs.
• Findings provide essential guidance for clinicians, researchers, educators, and policymakers in selecting appropriate QoL assessment tools.
• Further refinement in reviewer numbers could potentially minimize bias in future systematic reviews.