Defining the Minimal Clinically Important Difference for Patients With Vestibular Schwannoma: Are all Quality-of-Life Scores Significant?

Neurosurgery ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 779-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Kerezoudis ◽  
Kathleen J Yost ◽  
Nicole M Tombers ◽  
Maria Peris Celda ◽  
Matthew L Carlson ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND The diagnosis of vestibular schwannomas (VS) is associated with reduced patient quality of life (QOL). Minimal clinically important difference (MCID) was introduced as the lowest improvement in a patient-reported outcome (PRO) score discerned as significant by the patient. We formerly presented an MCID for the Penn Acoustic Neuroma QOL (PANQOL) battery based on cross-sectional data from 2 tertiary referral centers. OBJECTIVE To validate the PANQOL MCID values using prospective data. METHODS A prospective registry capturing QOL was queried, comprising patients treated at the authors’ institution and Acoustic Neuroma Association members. Anchor- and distribution-based techniques were utilized to determine the MCID for domain and total scores. We only included anchors with Spearman's correlation coefficient larger than 0.3 in the MCID threshold calculations. Most domains had multiple anchors with which to estimate the MCID. RESULTS A total of 1254 patients (mean age: 57.4 yr, 65% females) were analyzed. Anchor-based methods produced a span of MCID values (median, 25th-75th percentile) for each PANQOL domain and the total score: hearing (13.1, 13-16 points), balance (14, 14-19 points), pain (21, 20-28 points), face (25, 16-36 points), energy (16, 15-18 points), anxiety (16 [1 estimate]), general (13 [1 estimate]), and total (12.5, 10-15 points). CONCLUSION Current findings corroborate our formerly shared experience using multi-institutional, cross-sectional information. These MCID thresholds can serve as a pertinent outcome when deciphering the clinical magnitude of VS QOL endpoints in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (03) ◽  
pp. 211-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Witjes ◽  
Koen Koenraadt ◽  
Ruud Aarts ◽  
Thomas Weert ◽  
Rutger van Geenen ◽  
...  

AbstractTotal knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a successful procedure, although up to 20% of patients remain dissatisfied. Preoperative identification of appropriate TKA candidates is essential for improving satisfaction. This study investigated if preoperative radiographic severity was associated with postoperative pain, function, and quality of life after TKA. We performed a cross-sectional cohort study including 327 TKA patients. Radiographic severity was determined by two independent radiologists using the Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) score. The Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), the New Knee Society Score (New KSS), and Anterior Knee Pain Score (AKPS) were collected. We evaluated the association between KL grade and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) with the use of regression analysis techniques. Out of 228 responders, 195 patients completed the questionnaire sufficiently. Forty-seven patients were classified as KL grades 1 to 2, and 144 patients were classified as KL grades 3 to 4. The inter-observer reliability between both radiologists was substantial (ϰ = 0.67). After adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI), the New KSS subscales symptoms and expectations, and the KOOS subscale quality of life were significantly higher in the KL grades 3 to 4 group. However, neither the remaining KOOS subscales and AKPS nor KOOS change scores differed between both groups. Thus, more severe osteoarthritis (OA) resulted in better outcomes after TKA, although this association was not observed for all PROMs. The use of new PROMs, such as the New KSS, could be more reliable because of lower ceiling effects than the KOOS. Investigating the value of additional methods to assess radiographic severity (such as semi-flexed knee radiographs and MRI) is imperative to reliably identify knee OA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii24-ii24
Author(s):  
K S Bull ◽  
S Stubley ◽  
A Freeman ◽  
C Liossi ◽  
A E Darlington ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Survivors of childhood brain tumours are at risk of poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Appropriate and relevant measures can be used to monitor HRQoL so that timely interventions may be made for issues thus identified. We had previously selected patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) with good psychometric properties that had emerged as well-suited for this use in two systematic reviews. The aim of the present study was to ascertain the views of families regarding the suitability of the selected measures for use in paediatric neuro-oncology follow-up clinics. These views were then used to inform the choice of PROMs for use on the KLIK PROM portal, a website designed to gather HRQoL information from families. MATERIAL AND METHODS As part of the PROMOTE study, we used a multi-centre, multi-informant, cross-sectional, qualitative methods research design. Using ‘think aloud’ audio-recorded interviews, children aged 8–17 years diagnosed within the previous five years with a brain tumour, off treatment and receiving outpatient care, and their parents, were shown a total of nine PROMs and asked to express their views on which they preferred. Detailed notes were made of all audio-recordings by two independent researchers. The final choice of PROMs to be included on the KLIK PROM portal was agreed through discussion of the PROMs selected by families with an expert panel of clinicians, researchers, and parent representatives. RESULTS 16 children and 17 parents participated and of these 2 children and 2 parents did not express a preference. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Core module was the most popular among the children and parents with 7/14 (50%) of children selecting it as either their 1st or 2nd choice citing that they liked the questions and felt them to be most relevant to them, and 8/15 (53%) of parents citing that it was easy, quick and simple, the wording was easy, and they liked the questions about emotional, social, and school functioning. The least popular questionnaires, with no participants selecting them as first choices, were the Kidscreen-10 and the Health Utilities Index. The latter 2 were selected only as 2nd or lower choices by 1 child and 3 parents respectively. CONCLUSION The PROMs that were finally selected for the KLIK PROM portal were the parent- and child-report PedsQL-Core measures of HRQoL due to their good psychometric properties, family and clinician preference and perceived relevance to follow-up care, and for clinical utility on the KLIK PROM portal.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylke Schneider-Burrus ◽  
Athanasia Tsaousi ◽  
Sebastian Barbus ◽  
Johannes Huss-Marp ◽  
Katrin Witte ◽  
...  

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with an adverse impact on patients' quality of life (QoL).Objectives: To quantify QoL impairment in patients in Germany suffering from HS and to identify the parameters associated with QoL impairment.Methods: A non-interventional, cross-sectional, mono-centric study with 500 HS patients. QoL data (measured using the Dermatology Life Quality Index; DLQI) and demographic, anamnestic, clinical, and blood parameters were collected. All patients were examined by dermatologists that documented the skin alterations. QoL data from 462 HS patients were available and evaluated.Results: The mean (± standard deviation) DLQI score of HS patients was 13.18 ± 7.99. Approximately 40% and 20% of HS patients declared very large and extremely large QoL impairment, respectively. The degree of QoL disturbance correlated with the severity of skin alterations, blood leucocyte count and, in particular, with anogenital localization and the presence of nodules and fistulas. Furthermore, QoL impairment was associated with specific comorbidities, such as adiposity and back pain, but not with HS family history. QoL impairment was not influenced by whether or not the patients had undergone resection surgery or antibiotic treatment but was more severe in HS patients that had undergone abscess lancing compared to patients without such treatment in the past.Limitations: It was a mono-centric study and most data were obtained from self-administered patient questionnaires. The association of QoL with type of treatment was analyzed for abscess lancing, resection surgery, and antibiotic treatment. Further therapeutic modalities recommended in the guidelines were not investigated.Conclusion: A profound impairment in QoL was present in patients with HS, and this was higher than that observed in other studied dermatoses. The degree of impairment correlated with the extent of cutaneous and some extra-cutaneous alterations. Surgical and conventional medicamentous therapies of HS were not associated with long-lasting reduction of QoL impairment. Our data support the implementation of patient-reported outcome measures for the assessment of therapy responses.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Wishahi ◽  
Ahmed Mehena

Introduction: Direct vision internal urethrotomy (DVIU) is gaining revival among urologists, the procedure having the advantages of being minimally invasive as well as keeping continence and sexual function unaffected. The recurrence rate at 12 months was diminished by combination of DVIU with a Amplatz dilatation at the time of the procedure. Objectives are of present work is to present the outcome of the procedure. Materials and methods: This is an observational study with a cross-sectional approach. Patients underwent combined endo-urethrotomy and Amplatz dilation for posterior urethral strictures between February 2015 and January2020 were purposively recruited. We performed a retrospective review of the records of 48 patients who completed 12 months follow-up . Patient-reported outcome measures for urethral stricture surgery (USS-PROMs) and sexual function were assessed at 12 months follow-up questionnaire was used to assess quality of life. The patients in the study filled the questionnaire and returned to the researchers. Correlation between status before and after treatment were analyzed using simple statistical analysis to evaluate the effect of treatment on quality of life. Clinician-driven outcome were uroflowmetry, retrograde urethrogram, and reporting of complications. Results: Mean length of stricture segment was 2 cm (range 1-2.5 cm). At 12 months follow up patients reported very satisfactory. Restenosis that was treated with redo was reported in 2%. Mild stenosis that was treated with Amplatz dilatation was in 3%. Patients reported very satisfactory or satisfactory for USS-PROSMs, sexual function in comparison to pre-trauma status. Conclusions: Endourethrotomy combined with Amplatz dilation is an effective treatment for short segment passable posterior urethral stricture


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lleo Ana Maria Gonzalez ◽  
Mauro Boronat Cortes ◽  
Ulla Feldt-Rasmussen ◽  
Carlos Rodriguez Perez ◽  
AEse Krogh Rasmussen ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miss Charlotte L. Moss ◽  
Ajay Aggarwal ◽  
Asad Qureshi ◽  
Benjamin Taylor ◽  
Teresa Guerrero-Urbano ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Patient reported outcome measurements (PROMs) are emerging as an important component of patient management in the cancer setting, providing broad perspectives on patients’ quality of life and experience. The use of PROMs is, however, generally limited to the context of randomised control trials, as healthcare services are challenged to sustain high quality of care whilst facing increasing demand and financial shortfalls. We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify any oncological benefit of using PROMs and investigate the wider impact on patient experience, in cancers of the pelvic abdominal cavity specifically. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted using MEDLINE (Pubmed) and Ovid Gateway (Embase and Ovid) until April 2020. Studies investigating the oncological outcomes of PROMs were deemed suitable for inclusion. Results A total of 21 studies were included from 2167 screened articles. Various domains of quality of life (QoL) were identified as potential prognosticators for oncologic outcomes in cancers of the pelvic abdominal cavity, independent of other clinicopathological features of disease: 3 studies identified global QoL as a prognostic factor, 6 studies identified physical and role functioning, and 2 studies highlighted fatigue. In addition to improved outcomes, a number of included studies also reported that the use of PROMs enhanced both patient-clinician communication and patient satisfaction with care in the clinical setting. Conclusions This review highlights the necessity of routine collection of PROMs within the pelvic abdominal cancer setting to improve patient quality of life and outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 3216
Author(s):  
Anne Puchar ◽  
Pierre Panel ◽  
Anne Oppenheimer ◽  
Joseph Du Cheyron ◽  
Xavier Fritel ◽  
...  

Objectives: To study the measurement properties, the responsiveness and the minimal clinically important difference of the ENDOPAIN-4D: a new questionnaire for assessing pain in endometriosis. Methods: A prospective, observational, multicentre study was conducted including all women ≥18 years consulting for symptomatic proven endometriosis between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2018 and volunteering to participate. Each patient had to answer a new self-administered patient-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires (the ENDOPAIN-4D) at inclusion (T0) and 12 months after medical or surgical treatment (T1). Criteria defined by COSMIN were used to validate the questionnaire's measurement properties. The minimal clinically important difference was estimated by the anchor-based method. Results: The study included 199 women. The ENDOPAIN-4D score had a four dimensional structure with good internal consistency (measured by Cronbach α): I) pain-related disability (α = 0.79), II) painful bowel symptoms (α = 0.80), III) dyspareunia (α = 0.83), and IV) painful urinary tract symptoms (α = 0.77). They produced four subscores that can be summed to obtain a single score (α = 0.61). The ENDOPAIN-4D total score ranged from 0 to 94.00 (mean ± SD: 46.7 ± 22). The total score was significantly correlated with the PROs used in endometriosis. Sensitivity to change was good with large effect sizes (ES) (mean of the differences: 36.3 p = 1.8 10−7, ES 0.76). The minimal clinically important difference of the global score was determined to be 10.9. Conclusions: The ENDOPAIN-4D questionnaire is easy to use, valid, and effective in assessing patient reported pain symptoms in women treated for endometriosis. This new instrument can be used as the primary outcome for future clinical trials and as a tool for routine patient follow-up.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Salzwedel ◽  
I Koran ◽  
E Langheim ◽  
A Schlitt ◽  
J Nothroff ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs based on the bio-psycho-social approach of the international classification of functioning and disease are carried out to achieve improved prognosis, superior health-related quality of life (HRQL) and social integration. We aimed to identify predictors of returning to work (RTW) and HRQL among cardiovascular risk factors and physical performance as well as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) modifiable during CR. Methods We designed a prospective observational multi-center study and enrolled 1,586 patients (2017/18) in 12 German rehabilitation centers regardless of their primary allocation diagnoses (e.g. acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), coronary artery disease (CAD), valvular disease). Besides general data (e.g. age, gender, diagnoses), parameters of risk factor management (e.g. smoking, lipid profile, hypertension, lifestyle change motivation), physical performance (e.g. maximum exercise capacity, endurance training load, 6-min walking distance), and PROMs (e.g. depression, heart-focused anxiety, HRQL, subjective well-being, somatic and mental health, pain, general self-efficacy, pension desire as well as self-assessment of occupational prognosis using several questionnaires) were documented at CR admission and discharge. 6 months after discharge, status of RTW and HRQL (SF-12) were captured by a follow-up (FU) survey and analyzed in multivariable regression models with multiple imputation of missing values. Results Out of the study participants, 1,262 patients (54±7 years, 77% men) responded to the follow-up survey and could be analyzed regarding the outcome parameters. Most of them were assigned to CR primarily due to AMI (40%) or CAD without myocardial infarction (18%), followed by heart valve diseases in 12% of patients and CABG (8%). 864 patients (69%) returned to work within the follow-up period. Pension desire, negative self-assessed occupational prognosis, heart-focussed anxiety, major life events, smoking and heart failure were negatively associated with RTW, while higher endurance training load, HRQL and work stress were positively associated (Figure 1). HRQL after 6 months was determined more by PROMs (e.g. pension desire, heart-focused anxiety, physical/mental HRQL in SF-12, physical/mental health in indicators of rehab-status questionnaire (IRES-24), stress, well-being in the World Health Organization well-being index and self-efficacy expectations) than by clinical parameters or physical performance. Conclusions Patient-reported outcome measures predominantly influenced RTW and HRQL in heart-disease patients, whereas patients' pension desire and heart-focussed anxiety had a dominant impact on all investigated endpoints. Therefore, the multi-component CR approach focussing on psychosocial support is crucial for subjective health prognosis and occupational resumption. Figure 1. Predictors of returning to work Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): German pension insurance


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