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AUSTRALIAN VASCULAR QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX (AUSVIQUOL): A PILOT STUDY OF A DISEASE‐SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE MEASURE
Author(s) -
Borchard Kate L. A.,
Hewitt Peter M.,
Wotherspoon Simon,
Scott Alan R.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2006.03697.x
Subject(s) - medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , abdominal aortic aneurysm , reliability (semiconductor) , physical therapy , sf 36 , disease , population , surgery , health related quality of life , aneurysm , power (physics) , physics , nursing , environmental health , quantum mechanics
Background: To develop and test a quality of life (QOL) index specific for patients with vascular disease and appropriate for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the clinical setting. Methods: The questions and domains of the Australian Vascular Quality of Life Index (AUSVIQUOL) were determined by examination of a prospective database for frequency of symptoms and an in‐depth interview of a sample population. The validity of the AUSVIQUOL was tested by comparing it with the Medical Outcomes Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36) in a study involving 60 patients who underwent endovascular AAA repair and 48 open AAA repair. A subpopulation of 22 patients representative of the two groups was then reassessed using the SF‐36 and the AUSVIQUOL, to compare the reliability of the two indices. Results: Similar domains of the SF‐36 and the AUSVIQUOL measured common QOL elements. The correlation between the two indices was moderate; the AUSVIQUOL measured additional disease‐specific QOL factors. The AUSVIQUOL showed better reliability than the SF‐36 in all domains and statistically better in the physical function domain ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: The AUSVIQUOL is an appropriate tool for the QOL assessment of patients with AAA in the clinical setting.