Psychometric Assessment of a New Pain-Specific Patient-Reported Outcome Measure for Pelvic Floor Surgery Using...

Area of Science:

• Urogynecology
• Surgical Outcomes Research
• Health-Related Quality of Life

Background:

• Pelvic floor procedures can cause pain, negatively impacting women's health-related quality of life.
• Existing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are insufficient for evaluating post-procedure pain.
• A 16-item Pelvic Floor Procedure Pain Questionnaire (PPPQ) was developed to address this measurement gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To psychometrically assess the Pelvic Floor Procedure Pain Questionnaire (PPPQ) through field testing.
• To determine the latent structure of the PPPQ in women experiencing pain after pelvic floor surgery.
• To refine the PPPQ based on psychometric evaluation.

Main Methods:

• The PPPQ was administered online to 103 women who had undergone pelvic floor surgery.
• Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to assess structural validity and internal consistency.
• Item refinement was performed based on EFA results and relationships between items.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis identified a 3-factor model, leading to a refined 11-item PPPQ.
• The factors represent: HRQoL disruptions, pain characteristics/management, and pain avoidance behaviors.
• The refined 11-item PPPQ demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.70) and structural validity.

Conclusions:

• The revised 11-item PPPQ exhibits good reliability and structural validity for assessing pain post-pelvic floor surgery.
• The PPPQ is suitable for evaluating pain and monitoring health outcomes in this patient population.
• Further psychometric testing is recommended for full PROM development and application.