Validation of cough evaluation test in subacute cough

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Clinical Assessment
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Chronic cough significantly impacts patients' physical, psychological, and social well-being.
• The Cough Evaluation Test (CET) is a validated tool for assessing chronic cough's impact.
• CET's utility in subacute cough populations requires validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Cough Evaluation Test (CET) in patients experiencing subacute cough.
• To establish CET as a dependable subjective tool for subacute cough assessment.

Main Methods:

• 158 patients with subacute cough completed CET, VAS, LCQ-MC, and CSS at baseline.
• 65 patients underwent a 7-day follow-up assessment including CET, VAS, CSS, and Global Rating of Change.
• Statistical analyses included internal consistency, concurrent validity, repeatability, and responsiveness evaluation.

Main Results:

• CET demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =0.805).
• CET showed moderate to strong correlations with VAS, LCQ-MC, and CSS, supporting its validity.
• The test was repeatable (ICC=0.571) and responsive to changes in cough, with a minimal important clinical difference of 2.0.

Conclusions:

• The Cough Evaluation Test (CET) is a reliable, valid, and responsive subjective tool for assessing subacute cough.
• CET provides a simpler and quicker method for evaluating the multidimensional impact of subacute cough.
• Findings support the integration of CET into clinical and research settings for cough assessment.