SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Questionnaires”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,513 records · Page 84Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Quality-of-life questionnaire results 2 and 3 years after radiotherapy for prostate cancer in a randomized dose-escalation study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess patient-reported prostate cancer-specific quality of life 2 and 3 years after radiotherapy to the prostate in a randomized dose-escalation trial of 70 versus 78 Gy conducted from 1993 to 1998. METHODS: Two years after completing radiotherapy, a questionnaire that assessed bladder, rectal, and sexual function was sent to 301 patients in the study. Three years after treatment, a second questionnaire was sent to the 175 patients with adequate follow-up. RESULTS: Three years after radiotherapy, urinary incontinence was reported by 35% of patients, but only 6% required the use of a pad or other protective device. Patients reported increased leakage with a full bladder (urge incontinence) between the 2 and 3-year questionnaires (42% versus 50%; P = 0.03). At 3 years, 33% of patients reported rectal bleeding compared with 47% at 2 years (P = 0.006). Patients in the 78-Gy arm reported more frequent bowel movements at 3 years and less change in bowel function at 2 years than patients in the 70-Gy arm. Before radiotherapy, 84% of patients reported erections adequate for intercourse at least a few times during the previous year. After 2 and 3 years, this had decreased to 49% and 41%, respectively (P <0.02). CONCLUSIONS: By patient-reported questionnaire, 78 Gy produced an increase in bowel movement frequency and no increase in bladder or sexual side effects at 3 years compared with 70 Gy. Comparing the results 2 and 3 years after radiotherapy, the symptoms of rectal bleeding had improved, erectile function had decreased, and urinary urge incontinence had increased.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1982

Clinical and immunologic evaluation of trimellitic anhydride-and phthalic anhydride-exposed workers using a questionnaire with comparative analysis of enzyme-linked immunosorbent and radioimmunoassay studies.

Twenty workers exposed to trimellitic anhydride (TMA) powder an phthalic anhydride (PA) fumes concurrently were evaluated by questionnaire and serum antibody studies. The study group was divided into high-an low-exposure groups on the basis of job descriptions and intensity of daily exposure. The questionnaire, which was designed to identify symptoms compatible with TMA-associated rhinitis, asthma, late respiratory systemic syndrome, and irritant responses, was administered to 18 of 20 workers. Total antibody binding was determined by the ammonium sulfate assay, and specific IgG and IgE binding was measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to both PA-human serum albumin (PA-HSA) and TMA-human serum albumin (TM-HSA) conjugates. Specific IgE to TM-HSA was measured with the polystyrene-tube radioimmunoassay (PTRIA). The questionnaire identified nonirritant, immunologic symptoms caused by TMA primarily in the high-exposure group. Specific IgG, IgE, and total antibody binding to TM-HSA and PA-HSA were found exclusively in the high-exposure workers. One worker was identified with PA-associated rhinitis, high total antibody binding, and specific IgG and IgE to PA-HSA by means of the ELISA. The ELISA was as sensitive as the PTRIA in detecting the presence of specific IgE to TM-HSA. The present study demonstrates that an itemized questionnaire, combined with ELISA IgG and IgE determinations, may be a sensitive method for identifying workers who have or are at risk for developing TMA-induced respiratory symptoms.

Asthma↗

PubMed1999

Fatal and near-fatal asthma questionnaire: prelude to a national registry.

BACKGROUND: Asthma mortality rates continue to be unacceptably high in the United States. As a follow-up to the initiatives proposed by the Asthma Mortality Task Force in 1987, the Committee on Asthma Mortality of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology developed a questionnaire on fatal and near-fatal asthma. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed completeness of answers from participating physicians and described characteristics of patients with fatal and near-fatal asthma. METHODS: There were 111 survey items intended to characterize patients with fatal or near-fatal exacerbations of asthma. The questionnaire was sent to the members of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (approximately 3900), and a total of 143 usable questionnaires were received. RESULTS: Responding physicians had information on most items in the questionnaire; the mean number of responses was 120 of 143 possible, with a median of 128 and a range of 40 to 143. Patient demographics, description of the event, identification of overall risk for the event, use of medications, and characteristics of asthma management had the most complete responses (median response rates were 126-143). Presence of factors contributing to the event had fewer responses (range, 44-125). The physicians frequently had information on some psychologic characteristics (eg, 108 responses for depression and/or hopelessness and 127 responses for social support) but less information on several others (eg, 62 responses for family dysfunction). Statistical analysis of the completed surveys indicated that only 2 characteristics distinguished fatal from near-fatal asthma: progression in minutes (adjusted odds ratio, 4. 89; 95% confidence interval, 2.05-12.90) and absence of a past history of intubation (adjusted odds ratio, 3.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.55-8.97). CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to gather further data on patients with fatal and near-fatal events to design appropriate prospective studies on asthma morbidity and mortality rates. Physicians can contribute important information about these patients. Gathering such data would be enhanced by establishing a national registry on fatal and near-fatal asthma.

Anti-Allergic Agents↗

PubMed2002

A new approach to multicultural item generation in the development of two obesity-specific measures: the Obesity and Weight Loss Quality of Life (OWLQOL) questionnaire and the Weight-Related Symptom Measure (WRSM).

BACKGROUND: Being overweight or obese has substantial effects on individuals' perceptions of their health and quality of life (QoL). Generic measures often miss important QoL information, and existing obesity-specific instruments have shortcomings with respect to cross-cultural input, application to differing levels of severity, conceptual clarity, and patient burden. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop culturally sensitive measures of QoL and symptoms in overweight or obese persons, both those trying to lose weight and those not trying to lose weight. METHODS: Currently accepted criteria and guidelines for questionnaire development were streamlined and augmented to include cross-cultural input from 5 European countries and the United States. The preliminary pool of items was created based on qualitative interviews conducted in the United States, followed by an early check of item translatability and preharmonization across all languages. Ten additional qualitative in-country interviews were then conducted to produce further culture-specific items. This was followed by 2 forward and 1 backward translation, plus cognitive debriefing interviews in each country. Finally, an expanded international harmonization meeting was held to ensure inclusion of appropriate new items and their acceptability across all 6 cultures. RESULTS: The procedures described resulted in development of the 41-item Obesity and Weight Loss Quality of Life questionnaire and the 20-item Weight-Related Symptom Measure. These questionnaires are subject to further psychometric validation. CONCLUSIONS: Augmentation of the initial item-generation and international harmonization steps of questionnaire development through integration of cross-cultural input allowed greater validity of cross-cultural content while meeting time, budget, and resource constraints.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Comparative validity of three screening questionnaires for DSM-IV depressive disorders and physicians' diagnoses.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the WHO (five) Well Being Index (WBI-5), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), and physicians' recognition of depressive disorders, and to recommend specific cut-off points for clinical decision making. METHODS: A total of 501 outpatients completed each of the three depression screening questionnaires and received the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) as the criterion standard. In addition, treating physicians were asked to give their psychiatric diagnoses. Criterion validity and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) were determined. Areas under the curves (AUCs) were compared statistically. RESULTS: All depression scales showed excellent internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha: 0.85-0.90). For 'major depressive disorder', the operating characteristics of the PHQ were significantly superior to both the HADS and the WBI-5. For 'any depressive disorder', the PHQ showed again the best operating characteristics but the overall difference did not reach statistical significance at the 5% level. Cut-off points that can be recommended for the screening of 'major depressive disorder' had sensitivities of 98% (PHQ), 94% (WBI-5), and 85% (HADS). Corresponding specificities were 80% (PHQ), 78% (WBI-5), and 76% (HADS). In contrast, physicians' recognition of 'major depressive disorder' was poor (sensitivity, 40%; specificity, 87%). LIMITATIONS: Our sample may not be representative of medical outpatients, but sensitivity and specificity are independent of disorder prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: All three questionnaires performed well in depression screening, but significant differences in criterion validity existed. These results may be helpful in the selection of questionnaires and cut-off points.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

The development of a paediatric quality of life questionnaire to measure post-operative pain following tonsillectomy.

In this paper we describe the process through which a Paediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire was developed to assess the pain experienced by children following tonsillectomy. The impetus behind the questionnaire development was the clinical observation that the pain experienced by children undergoing tonsillectomy was not being detected and analgesia was not being prescribed in adequate amounts. The eight-item questionnaire provides the independent observer with an objective measure of the physical and emotional distress a child experiences post-tonsillectomy to which analgesic requirements can be titrated. The questionnaire was tested on a sample of 48 children aged between 2 and 13 years (average age 7.1 years) who underwent elective dissection tonsillectomy by the same surgeon using a standardised operative technique. The conclusions substantiate the hypothesis that there is the need for an assessment tool based on non-verbal behaviour to measure post-operative pain in children. In the discussion we summarise the increasing role of quality of life assessments in surgical practice.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Evaluation of the use of a questionnaire to detect hearing loss in babies in China.

A questionnaire was used to screen hearing of 1020 babies 6-8 months in China. All babies failing the questionnaire and 10% of those who passed were tested using auditory brainstem audiometry (ABR). Babies with unilateral or bilateral hearing thresholds 30 dBnHL or more were investigated to determine the cause of the hearing impairment. Sixty-seven failing the questionnaire were tested and 23 were confirmed to have a hearing loss, 20 with bilateral hearing impairment. The causes were: 13 otitis media with effusion (OME), one hypoxia, one genetic and five unknown. One child with an OME related hearing loss passed the screen. The sensitivity of the questionnaire was estimated to be 70%, specificity 96%.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗

PubMed2001

Data-quality issues and alternative variable-screening methods in a questionnaire-based study on subclinical Salmonella enterica infection in Danish pig herds.

Our aim was to determine risk factors for subclinical Salmonella enterica infection in Danish finishing-pig herds. In this paper, the evaluation, combining and initial reduction of variables is presented, along with assessment of the hypotheses in the preliminary statistical testing. The first group of herds was selected at random with no former knowledge of S. enterica infection. Both the herd prevalence and the within-herd prevalence among these herds turned out to be low; hence, some additional herds were selected from The Danish Salmonella Control program, based on their high seroprevalence. This resulted in a hybrid case-"control" design of the study and therefore, five different methods of categorising the data were used to ensure that variables were not wrongfully excluded as a result of using an improper design. Our questionnaire focused on management, infection-limiting precautions and feed and feeding procedures. To establish the prevalence of S. enterica infection within herds at the time of the visit, 50 blood samples from each herd were collected and serologically examined. The reliability of each variable from the questionnaire was assessed and it was decided which variables should be selected, disregarded, combined with other variables and/or recoded. In the simple statistical testing (2x2 tables, cut-off: P=0.25) herds were defined as subclinically S. enterica infected if the within-herd proportion of individual pigs with OD%>10 was more than 20%. The results included questionnaires from 96 randomly selected and 39 high-seroprevalence herds and 6814 blood samples. The initial 95 variables originally included in the questionnaires were reduced to 21 by critical check, combination, recoding and preliminary screening. We failed to demonstrate "herd size" as a risk factor for subclinical S. enterica infection in pig herds.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1998

Application and evaluation of a mailed questionnaire for an epidemiologic study of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in horses.

The objective of this study is to describe the design, application and validity of a self-administered (mailed) questionnaire to collect data on potential risk factors for Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in California horses. Horses admitted to the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) between 1 July 1992 and 30 June 1994 served as the study base for case identification and simple random sampling of 800 control horses. A questionnaire was mailed to owners of the study horses, followed by a reminder postcard and a second copy of a questionnaire. Data were collected on owner and horse identity and demographics, horse management and use, geographic location, and general health-related issues. Return pattern over time as well as differential return proportions were described. The overall return proportion was 66% (587/890), and the completion proportion 55% (491/890). The number of returns over time followed a negative binomial distribution, with over 90% of all returns being in by the end of the fifth week after mailing, and over 99% at the end of the tenth week. Some categories within the variables age (between 2 and 3 years), breed (Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses) and gender (stallions) had significantly lower return proportions than expected (differential return; p < 0.05). The profile of these horses fits a section of the racehorse population that is served by the VMTH. Age, breed and disease status information was available from the VMTH medical records and from the questionnaire, and was used to determine the validity of the survey data. There was good agreement between the data from the two sources, and we therefore concluded that the quality of the survey information was sufficient to perform a risk-factor analysis. The mailed survey provided a rapid and cost-effective method of collecting additional information to supplement existing medical records.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Validation of a questionnaire for self-rating of urological and gynaecological morbidity after treatment of gynaecological cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Patient self-assessment of symptom severity provides clinicians and researchers with important information. It is crucial to evaluate the validity of a self-assessment questionnaire in the context of its intended use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of the uro-gynaecological questionnaire (UGQ), a new instrument for patient self-assessment of urological-, genital-, menopausal-, and pain symptomatology in gynaecological cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The UGQ was developed after literature review, patient- and expert interviews and pilot testing. From February 1992 to October 1992, 88 gynaecological cancer patients were invited to participate in a validation study after the initiation of their primary radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The method of validation investigated whether patients and researchers interpreted the items of the questionnaire in the same way. The patient's written response before interview was compared with an observer rating of the patient's open-ended audio-taped responses to the same questionnaire, administered as an interview. Qualitative recordings by the observer were made to describe potential misinterpretations. RESULTS: The agreement between the patient's and the observer's ratings was high: the median overall agreement was 0.91 (range 0.71-1.00) and the median kappa was 0.88 (range 0.45-1.00). The quantitative and the qualitative results identified a few minor validity problems; especially, the issue of selective reporting, i.e. some patients only reporting those symptoms they considered relevant for the study, which may lead to systematic errors. CONCLUSIONS: The results strongly suggest that patients interpret the UGQ items as intended, i.e. they are valid. The UGQ is recommended for patient self-assessment of uro-gynaecological morbidity in gynaecological cancer patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Development of rheumatoid arthritis functional handicap assessment questionnaire: preliminary study].

OBJECTIVE: To construct a handicap assessment questionnaire for rheumatoid arthritis and to determine if the concept of "participation" can replace the one of "handicap". METHODS: Selection of daily life domains and items was based on the International Classification of Impairment Disability and Handicap "ICIDH" and on some others handicap epidemiological studies. The questionnaire was tested among rheumatoid arthritis patients. The relation between handicap and participation was investigated. Statistics analysis was performed with Systat.9 program. Spearman's correlation coefficient between 2 quantitative variables was examined. RESULTS: Six among the 7 "ICIDH" domains were included in the questionnaire. Each of them was explored with many items. Forty-six items were included; each item was explored in 4 chapters:participation assessment with VAS (Visual Analogical Scale) before rheumatoid arthritis and during the study; difficulties: need of help, environment accessibility, patient's satisfaction, feeling of devalorization; patient's propositions;handicap assessment with VAS; other questions were added in some particular items. Thirty patients were included in the study (23 women), the average age was 51 years. Five patients didn't understand the meaning of "Handicap".This study allows us to eliminate 2 items, to add 2 others and to ameliorate 1 of them. Correlation between handicap and participation was moderate to bad. CONCLUSION: This questionnaire allows to explore rheumatoid arthritis handicap. Each domain of the daily life can be assessed separately. The main difficulties are the length and the impossibility to be self-administered. Handicap and participation probably assess different concepts or are differently understood by patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1999

The impact of onychomycosis on quality of life: development of an international onychomycosis-specific questionnaire to measure patient quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is a widespread refractory disease deleteriously affecting quality of life via social stigma and disrupting daily activities. Many physicians perceive onychomycosis as a cosmetic rather than a medical problem. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to develop a questionnaire-based instrument to quantify the impact of onychomycosis on patients' quality of life. METHODS: The questionnaire was developed and validated in a multinational cross-sectional study. Completed questionnaires from 532 patients were analyzed: 284 toenail, 248 fingernail (onychomycosis or paronychia). RESULTS: The degree of quality of life impairment from onychomycosis varied by country studied, possibly reflecting cross-national health perception differences. Longer duration of disease, greater involvement of individual nails, and greater number of nails involved were associated with more serious adverse effects. Many physicians underestimated the associated degree of pain. CONCLUSION: The study confirms that onychomycosis physically and psychologically affects patients' lives. The questionnaire may be a valuable tool in evaluating the effect of therapeutic agents on quality of life of patients with onychomycosis.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

PubMed2004

[Measuring health-related quality of life in children and adolescents: preliminary validation and reliability of the Spanish version of the KINDL questionnaire].

OBJECTIVES: To obtain a first Spanish version of the KINDL questionnaire idiomatic and culturally equivalent to the German original version, and then to evaluate its psychometric properties in a sample of healthy children/adolescents 8-16 years old, and their parents. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: 2 public schools of Asturias of similar sociodemographic conditions. PARTICIPANTS: 243 children 8-16 year-old, and 153 parents were investigated. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: HRQoL evaluated through the generic questionnaire KINDL. An external assessment through the parents was made as well. The psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the questionnaire were investigated and results on HRQoL are presented for different ages and gender in the Spanish sample. RESULTS: 6 items (6/24) needed successive translations and conceptual discussion during the phase of idiomatic adaptation. The factorial analysis confirmed the validity of construction of the instrument for most scales. The internal consistency, measured by alpha Cronbach coefficent, was good for the total of the questionnaire (>0.70) and acceptable in most of the scales (>0.50). Only the school scale for adolescents shows very poor reliability. Females and children with higher age scored lower in most of the investigated dimensions (P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: The first Spanish version of the Kindl showed acceptable reliability and validity. In spite of the punctual inadequacies found in this first step of the investigation, the results constitute an important starting point to work further on the KINDL as an HRQoL instrument--in Spanish language--to measure subjective well-being in children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

[Identification of items for creating a questionnaire for the assessment of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in elderly patients].

OBJECTIVE: To identify items to design a questionnaire to assess IADL in the elderly in the community. DESIGN: Delphi study. LOCATION: Community setting, primary health care. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty seven multidisciplinary experts (family doctors, geriatricians, physiotherapists, social workers, male nurses) who are members of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine or the Spanish Geriatrics and Gerontology Society. METHODS: Three consecutive questions sent via e-mail or fax. First: what items you would take into account in a questionnaire to assess IADL in the elderly? Second: out of the groupings select 10 you consider to be of special relevance? Third: among the 14 more most selected items, select, by scoring from 1 to 10, the ones you consider more important? In the end we obtained the 10 items to include in the questionnaire according to their scores. RESULTS: Thirty experts answered the 3 mailings. The 53 initial proposals were grouped into 24 items. In the end we obtained the following selection (from higher to lower score): dealing with medication, use of the telephone, housework, handling money, walking outside the home, security measures and risk avoidance, shopping, dealing with doors and keys, transport use, and means of social contact. CONCLUSIONS: Only 2 items could have gender influence (in contrast to other questionnaires), as "shopping" does not refer only to the household ones and "housework" also includes activities carried out by males. The most important items are "dealing with medication" (due to the high prevalence of problems and clinical outcomes) and "the use of the telephone" (survival item).

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Validation of the Job Content Questionnaire in hospital nursing staff].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and construct validity of the three dimensions of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ): demand, control and job support among hospital nursing staff. METHODS: The minimun reduced version of the JCQ was used, which include three dimensions: psychological demands (9 items), job control (9 items) and job support (11 items). Validity was assessed in a random sample of 330 nursing staff from two general hospitals in the province of Alicante (Spain). The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated after re-interviewing a subsample of 50 nurses 15 days after the first interview. Construct validity was evaluated by calculating correlations between the three dimensions of the JCQ obtained after factorial analysis with the burnout scale and six dimensions of the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire. RESULTS: Factorial analysis revealed that the version of the JCQ validated in this study had the same factorial structure as the original questionnaire. The intraclass correlation between the first and second interview was high for each of the three dimensions (between 0.83 and 0.87). Cronbach's alpha was also high (between 0.74 and 0.88). A moderate but significant correlation was found between the three JCQ dimensions and the burnout scale: (-0,27 for job support, 0.31 for psychological demands and -0.12 for job control). A moderate correlation was also found for some SF-36 dimensions. CONCLUSION: The factorial structure of the JCQ was similar to that proposed by the author in the context of Spanish culture. The reliability and internal consistency of each of the three dimensions was high while construct validity was moderate.

Job Description↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison between telephone and self-administration of Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36).

OBJECTIVE: The characteristics of the 36 item Medical Outcome Short Form Health Study Survey (SF-36) questionnaire, designed as a generic indicator of health status for the general population, allow it to be self-administered or used in personal or telephone interviews. The main objective of the study was to compare the telephone and self-administered modes of SF-36 for a population from Girona (Spain). METHODS: A randomized crossover administration of the questionnaire design was used in a cardiovascular risk factor survey. Of 385 people invited to participate in the survey, 351 agreed to do so and were randomly assigned to two orders of administration (i.e., telephone-self and self-telephone); 261 completed both questionnaires. Scores were compared between administration modes using a paired t test. Internal consistency and agreement between modalities were analyzed by respectively applying Chronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients. The effect of the order of administration on the test-retest difference was analyzed by one-way ANOVA for repeated measurements. RESULTS: Physical function, physical role and social functioning received significantly lower scores when the self-administered questionnaire was used prior to the telephone survey. When the initial survey was conducted by telephone, all Chronbach's alpha coefficients (except social functioning) scored over 0.70 in the self-administered modality. The intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.41 to 0.83 for the telephone-self order and from 0.32 to 0.73 for the self-telephone order. No clinically significant effect was observed for the order of application. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that the telephone-administration mode of SF-36 is equivalent to and as valid as the self-administered mode.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Validation of a questionnaire for retrospectively measuring occupational pesticide exposure].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to validate a questionnaire intended to assess retrospective occupational exposure to pesticides in a case control study of workers exposed to pesticides and congenital malformations. METHODS: Occupational data were gathered through personal interviews to 56 agricultural workers and this information was compared to: 1) personal interviews with the workers' foremen, 2) direct observation of working places and 3) another questionnaire self-administered previously by the workers as a part of the "Training Program for Pesticide Applicators". RESULTS: Accuracy and reliability indices are high for variables such as the crops where the interviewees have been working, the time period of the treatments with pesticides and the use of personal protection during treatments (sensitivity ranges between 0.81 and 1 and Kappa index ranges between 0.65 and 0.80). However, for variables such as the duration of the treatments and the pesticides used, sensitivity values range between 0.32 and 0.50. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the questionnaire is a valid tool for measuring some items but in order to improve the quality of the exposure assessment the questionnaire was modified, including a question about size of treated areas (as a proxy variable for duration of treatments) and prompt lists were developed to make easier recall by the workers of specific pesticides used in treatments.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗

PubMed2002

Listening to respondents: a qualitative assessment of the Short-Form 36 Health Status Questionnaire.

Standardised health status questionnaires are widely used to obtain subjective assessments of health. However, little research has investigated the meaning of the data they produce. Statistical tests will highlight some problems with the structure and wording of a questionnaire but they cannot shed any light on the way in which respondents interpret questions or their intended meaning when they select a response. Various qualitative techniques are being used within disciplines such as sociology and psychology to test both the language of survey instruments and the cognitive bases of surveys. This paper outlines some of these methods and reports findings from a qualitative research study in the UK with a widely used questionnaire--the Short-Form 36 Health Status Questionnaire. The value of including in-depth, qualitative validation techniques in the development and testing of surveys used to collect subjective assessments of health is clearly demonstrated by the findings of the study.

Activities of Daily Living↗