Methodology and measurement properties of health-related quality of life instruments: A prospective study of patients undergoing breast reduction surgery

doi:10.1186/1477-7525-3-44

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Volume 3

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Sprague S
Veltri K
Duku E
Furlong W

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Sprague S
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Duku E
Furlong W
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Methodology and measurement properties of health-related quality of life instruments: A prospective study of patients undergoing breast reduction surgery

Achilleas Thoma¹^,2 , Sheila Sprague¹^,2 , Karen Veltri¹^,2 , Eric Duku³ and William Furlong⁴^,5

¹Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

²Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOURCE), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

³Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

⁴Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

⁵Health Utilities Inc, Dundas, Ontario, Canada

author email corresponding author email

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2005, 3:44doi:10.1186/1477-7525-3-44


Published:	22 July 2005

Abstract

Background

Breast hypertrophy is associated with clinically important morbidity. A prospective study was conducted to assess the change in health-related quality of life (HRQL) following breast reduction mammoplasty. This paper describes the measurement properties of each of the HRQL questionnaires used.

Methods

The reliability, responsiveness, and the construct validity of each HRQL instrument (the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 (HUI2) and Mark 3 (HUI3) and the Breast Reduction Assessment Value and Outcomes (BRAVO) instruments) were assessed. The BRAVO instruments are a set of separate instruments including the Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Multidimensional Body Self Relations Questionnaire Appearance Assessment (MBSRQ-AS), and the Breast Related Symptoms Questionnaire (BRSQ).

Results

The HUI2, the HUI3, the MBSRQ-AS, and the breast severity symptom (BSS) score from the BRSQ all demonstrated good test-retest reliability. The SF-36 physical component summary, the MBSRQ-AS, and the BSS score demonstrated high responsiveness. The SF-36 mental component summary and the HUI3 had a moderate effect size and the HUI2 had a small effect size. All of the changes in scales are correlated in the same direction except for the SF-36 physical component summary and the SF-36 mental component summary.

Conclusion

All four instruments were found to be reliable and responsive. These instruments can be used in similar clinical settings to evaluate the change in patients' HRQL.