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Refining a health‐related quality of life assessment strategy for solid organ transplant patients
Author(s) -
Feurer Irene D,
Moore Derek E,
Speroff Theodore,
Liu Hongxia,
Payne Jerita,
Harrison Connie,
Pinson C Wright
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
clinical transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1399-0012
pISSN - 0902-0063
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2004.00216.x
Subject(s) - medicine , psychosocial , quality of life (healthcare) , sf 36 , mental health , scale (ratio) , distress , clinical psychology , health related quality of life , psychiatry , physics , nursing , disease , quantum mechanics
Purpose: The psychometric properties of generic health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) assessment instruments were evaluated to identify a reliable, valid, and non‐redundant battery to measure longitudinal outcomes in organ transplant patients. Methods: Objective functional performance and subjective HRQOL were assessed in 371 solid organ (liver, heart, kidney, lung) transplant patients using the Karnofsky scale, the SF‐36 ® Health Survey (SF‐36 ® ), and Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS). The surveys' internal‐consistency reliability, criterion‐related validity, and redundancy were tested. Results: The SF‐36 ® mental (MCS) and physical components (PCS), and PAIS summary scales were internally consistent (all α ≥ 0.83). Four out of seven PAIS scales (vocational, domestic, sexual, social) were collectively associated with the PCS ( R = 0.65, P < 0.001), as was functional performance ( r = 0.52, P < 0.001). Three PAIS scales (family, social, psychological distress) were associated with the MCS ( R = 0.72, P < 0.001). Only the PAIS healthcare orientation (satisfaction) scale was not associated with the SF‐36 ® . The relationship between functional performance and the PCS is stronger ( r = 0.52, P < 0.001) than with the MCS ( r = 0.25, P < 0.001) and the PAIS global score ( r = 0.37, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The SF‐36 ® and PAIS are internally consistent and exhibit divergent criterion‐related validity but, with the exception of the PAIS healthcare orientation scale, are statistically redundant. The advantages of the SF‐36 ® include wider use, more norms, and a lesser response burden. A transplant‐specific patient satisfaction inventory was indicated and was developed.