A systematic review of health-related quality of life instruments used for people with venous ulcers: an assessment of their suitability and psychometric properties

International mixed methods study protocol to develop a patient-reported outcome measure for all types of chronic wounds (the WOUND-Q)

INTRODUCTION

Most patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) for chronic wounds are specific to a single wound type (eg, pressure ulcer) or part of the body. A barrier to outcome assessment in wound care and research is the lack of a rigorously designed PROM that can be used across wound types and locations. This mixed method study describes the protocol for an international collaboration to develop and validate a new PROM called the WOUND-Q for adults with chronic wounds.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

In phase I, the qualitative approach of interpretive description is used to elicit concepts important to people with wounds regarding outcome. Participants from Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the USA are aged 18 years and older and have a wound that has lasted 3 months or longer. Interviews are digitally recorded, transcribed and coded. A conceptual framework and preliminary item pool are developed from the qualitative dataset. Draft scales are formed to cover important themes in the conceptual framework. These scales are refined using feedback from people with chronic wounds and wound care experts. After refinement, the scales are translated into Danish and Dutch, following rigorous methods, to prepare for an international field-test study. In phase II, data are collected in Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the USA. An international sample of people with a large variety of chronic wounds complete the WOUND-Q. Rasch Measurement Theory analysis is used to identify the best subset of items to retain for each scale and to examine reliability and validity.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study is coordinated at Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, USA). Ethics board approval was received at each participating site for both study phases. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences and meetings.

Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Adult Dental Patients: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are used beside disease-oriented outcomes (eg, number of teeth, clinical attachment level) to better capture the impact of diseases or interventions. To assess PROs for dental patients (dPROs), dental PRO measures (dPROMs) are applied. The aim of this systematic review was to identify generic dPROMs for adult patients and the dPROs.

METHODS

This systematic review searched the MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO databases along with hand searching, through December 2017, to identify English-language, multi-item dPROMs that are oral health generic, that is, they are applicable to a broad range of adult patients.

RESULTS

We identified 20 questionnaires that contained 36 unique dPROs. They were measured by 53 dPROMs. dPRO names (N = 36) suggested they could be grouped into four dPRO categories: (1) Oral Function (N = 11), Orofacial Pain (N = 7), Orofacial Appearance (N = 3), and Psychosocial Impact (N = 14), as well as an additional dPRO that represented perceived oral health in general. Only eight questionnaires had a specific recall or reference period. dPROM's score dimensionality was only investigated in 13 of the 20 questionnaires.

CONCLUSIONS

The identified 36 dPROs represent the major aspects of an adult dental patient's oral health experience; however, four major dPRO categories, that is, Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, and Psychosocial Impact, summarize how patients are impacted. If multi-item, oral health-generic dPROMs are to be used to measure patients' suffering, the 53 dPROMs represent current available tools. Limitations of the majority of these dPROMs include incomplete knowledge about their dimensionality, which affects their validity, and an unspecified recall period, which reduces their clinical applicability.

Systematic review assessing the measurement properties of patient-reported outcomes for venous leg ulcers

Background

A variety of instruments have been used to assess outcomes for patients with venous leg ulcers. This study sought to identify, evaluate and recommend the most appropriate patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) for English‐speaking patients with venous leg ulcers.

Methods

This systematic review used a two‐stage search approach. Electronic searches of major databases including MEDLINE were completed in October 2015, and then updated in July 2016. Additional studies were identified from citation checking. Study selection, data extraction and quality assessment were undertaken independently by at least two reviewers. Evaluation and summary of measurement properties of identified PROMs were done using standard and adapted study‐relevant criteria.

Results

Ten studies with data for four generic PROMS and six condition‐specific measures were identified. No generic PROM showed adequate content and criterion validity; however, the EuroQoL Five Dimensions (EQ‐5D™), Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and 12‐item Short‐Form Health Survey (SF‐12®) had good acceptability. In general, the EQ‐5D™ showed poor responsiveness in patients with venous leg ulcers. Most condition‐specific PROMs demonstrated poor criterion and construct validity. Overall, there was some evidence of internal consistency for the Venous Leg Ulcer Quality of Life (VLU‐QoL) and the Sheffield Preference‐based Venous Ulcer questionnaire (SPVU‐5D). Test–retest reliability was satisfactory for the Venous Leg Ulcer Self‐Efficacy Tool (VeLUSET).

Conclusion

The NHP and VLU‐QoL questionnaire seemed the most suitable PROMs for use by clinicians. However, a valid condition‐specific PROM is still required.

The effect of long-term life dissatisfaction on health-related quality of life among general population subjects

The aim of this population-based study (n = 329) was to explore how long-term life dissatisfaction (LS burden) and concurrent life dissatisfaction are associated with the concurrent health-related quality of life (HRQL) (RAND-36), and how long-term life dissatisfaction predicts HRQL in the general population. The sum of the life satisfaction scores in 1998, 1999, 2001 (LS burden) and the concurrent life satisfaction score (LS) in 2005 were used to categorize the study participants into satisfied, intermediate and dissatisfied groups. Differences in RAND-36 dimensions in 2005 were investigated with respect to the LS burden and concurrent life dissatisfaction. The predictive power of the LS burden for HRQL dimensions was assessed with logistic regression models. Both a high LS burden and concurrent life dissatisfaction were strongly associated with HRQL and were risk factors for poor HRQL, regardless of its dimensions. The LS burden predicted all of the RAND-36 dimensions, except for physical functioning. Screening of life dissatisfaction can be used to identify service users whose HRQL should be further investigated. Assessment of HRQL provides information on the domains and factors that require mental health nursing intervention. This knowledge could assist mental health nurses in both the alleviation of disease consequences and promotion of well-being of service users.

Venous leg ulcer in the context of chronic venous disease

Objectives

Chronic venous disease (CVD) is a frequent disorder with a high socioeconomic impact. Little is known about the possible differences between healed ulcer (C5 group) and active ulcer (C6 group) in terms of disease severity and quality of life (QoL). Our aim was to determine the possible differences in severity disease and QoL between the C5–C6 and C1 (control) group.

Methods

Data from a national, multicentre, observational and cross-sectional study ( n = 1598) were used to compare three groups of CVD: C1 ( n = 243), C5 ( n = 136) and C6 ( n = 70). CVD severity was assessed with the Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) and QoL with the Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12) and Chronic Lower Limb Venous Insufficiency Questionnaire (CIVIQ-20).

Results

Patients with active ulcers had a higher mean total VCSS than patients with healed ulcers ( P < 0.05). Both SF-12 and CIVIQ-20 QoL questionnaires indicated a poorer QoL in patients with ulcers than in those with C1 ( P < 0.05). Compared with the C5 group, patients with active ulcers (C6) had lower QoL scores, but the differences were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Patients with venous leg ulcers (C5–C6) are associated with high severity and poor QoL. However, the healing of a leg ulcer did not contribute to improvement of QoL.

A systematic integrated literature review of systematic integrated literature reviews in nursing

As faculty members, we frequently find that first-year doctoral students in nursing are confused about how to conduct a systematic integrated literature review. This could be due to its vague definition and a lack of recent literature that provides directions for conducting a systematic integrated literature review. This article aims to provide directions for conducting a systematic integrated literature review by identifying the essential components of published literature reviews in nursing. To achieve this goal, the literature was searched by using the keywords nursing, systematic, and review in multiple databases. A total of 267 articles were selected and are included in this systematic integrated literature review. The articles were then sorted by study design and analyzed in six areas of interests. Finally, a practical guideline for conducting systematic integrated literature reviews is proposed based on the analysis of the literature.

Reliability and validity of the Functional Assessment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection (FAHI) in patients with drug and alcohol use disorders

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and substance use disorders can both significantly impact a patient's quality of life (QOL), and it is, therefore, important to assess QOL throughout treatments for these chronic conditions. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Functional Assessment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection (FAHI) in 170 HIV-positive patients who participated in a substance abuse treatment study. Internal consistency of the FAHI was good. Convergent and discriminant validity were generally supported with comparisons to other patient-reported measures. FAHI scores were not significantly associated with viral loads or CD4 counts, and they were similar in patients with and without AIDS. Patients who achieved longer durations of drug and alcohol abstinence during treatment reported better QOL post-treatment. The FAHI appears to be a reliable and valid measure for assessing QOL in HIV-positive patients with concurrent drug and alcohol use disorders.