Validity and Responsiveness of the Generic Health-Related Quality of Life Instrument (VetMetrica™) in Cats With Osteoarthritis. Comparison of Vet and Owner Impressions of Quality of Life Impact

Validity is not an inherent property of a measurement scale and so evidence for validity relating to its use for particular purposes, with defined populations and in specified contexts must be accumulated. We have published the development of a web-based, generic health-related quality of life instrument (VetMetrica™) to measure the affective impact of chronic disease in cats and provided evidence for its validity in a mixed population of cats, some of which, according to veterinary judgement, were healthy and others of which were suffering from chronic conditions likely to affect their quality of life, often with multiple co-morbidities present. The first aim of the current study was to demonstrate the construct validity of the VetMetrica™ generic instrument when used with cats suffering from osteoarthritis, by testing the hypothesis that the health-related quality of life profile of cats with different severities of osteoarthritis would differ and by demonstrating convergent validity between the health-related quality of life profile scores and independently quantified vet-assessed pain and quality of life impact scores. The latter involved simple correlation analysis and investigation of the relationship between health-related quality of life domain scores and vet-assessed scores, when adjusted for other potential explanatory variables including number of comorbidities and age. Responsiveness—the ability to detect clinically relevant change—is an essential quality for an evaluative instrument and it also provides evidence for “longitudinal validity”. Therefore, a second aim of this study was to demonstrate that changes in health-related quality of life domain scores concurred with the clinician's impression of change over time in the health status of cats with osteoarthritis, thus providing evidence for the instrument's responsiveness. Previously, we have reported disagreement between owner and vet impression as to health status in cats in general, but not in relation to any specific disease. Accordingly, the third study aim was to investigate the extent of agreement or disagreement between owner impression of the impact of osteoarthritis on their cats' quality of life and vet impression of such impact. Fifty one percentage of cat owners believed their cats to be perfectly healthy despite a clinician diagnosis of osteoarthritis

Qualidade de Vida de Pessoas com Vitiligo: Um Estudo Exploratório Brasileiro

O Vitiligo é uma doença dermatológica caracterizada pela presença de máculas hipopigmentadas na pele. Considerando-se que seus efeitos não se limitam a dimensão biológica do sujeito, se supõem impactos negativos na qualidade de vida de seus portadores. Nesse contexto, sabendo-se da incipiência de pesquisas brasileiras que busquem entender aspectos alusivos da qualidade de vida deste público, buscou-se no presente estudo verificar a relação entre variáveis sociodemográficas de pessoas com Vitiligo, assim como suas percepções de discriminação e gravidade da afecção em suas qualidades de vida. Trata-se de um estudo quantitativo de cunho descritivo e exploratório, em que participaram 200 brasileiros com Vitiligo, a maioria do sexo feminino (73%), de cor de pele branca (50,5%) e prevalentemente residentes do Sudeste do Brasil (31,02%). Para a coleta de dados, utilizou-se um questionário sociodemográfico e a escala Vitiligo-specific health-related quality of life instrument (VitiQoL). Os resultados apontaram que participantes do sexo feminino, de cor de pele negra, de baixa renda e com acromias em áreas de fácil percepção social demonstraram piores índices de qualidade de vida. Discute-se os achados com a literatura pertinente e espera-se que os mesmos contribuam para o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas de intervenção junto a brasileiros com Vitiligo.

QUALIDADE DE VIDA DOS PROFISSIONAIS DE ENFERMAGEM NA UNIDADE DE TERAPIA INTENSIVA NO CENTRO-OESTE GOIANO

Introdução: Os profissionais presentes na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) estão a todo momento lidando com máquinas e monitores tornando o trabalho de forma técnica e automática. É notável que o ambiente da UTI é gerador de estresse, devido a sobrecarga de trabalho, prejudicando relações organizacionais e a qualidade de vida. Objetivos: Avaliar a qualidade de vida dos profissionais de enfermagem no âmbito de Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma pesquisa transversal, exploratória, descritiva, com análise quantitativa dos dados acerca da QV dos profissionais de enfermagem nas UTI’s no centro-oeste goiano. Para analisar a QV dos profissionais de enfermagem foi utilizado o questionário Quality of World Health Organization Life Instrument, abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF), que é um instrumento utilizado para avaliar a QV idealizado pela Organização Mundial da Saúde. Resultados: Domínios meio ambiente e físico apresentaram menores escores na avaliação da QV. Em relação ao domínio físico os itens principais enfocam a presença de dor ou desconforto, dependência de medicação, satisfação com o sono, capacidade para o trabalho e atividades diárias, a amostra de trabalhadores estudada obteve um escore de 3,74, o que nos atenta para o comprometimento da realização das atividades profissionais, podendo assim por afetar a qualidade do atendimento ao paciente. Conclusão: Percebeu-se que o meio ambiente e o domínio físico são os que mais podem influenciar naqualidade de vida dos profissionais, visto que o mesmo engloba a qualidade de sono do profissional, como também sua saúde como um todo.

Use of the Milan Pet Quality of Life Instrument (MPQL) to Measure Pets’ Quality of Life during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic caused lifestyle changes, with unknown effect on pets’ quality of life (QoL). Between May and July 2020, we distributed an online survey to investigate the role of several factors on feline and canine QoL, including lockdown-related factors. We used existing scales to measure human and pets’ personalities (Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire, RST-PQ; RST-Dog; RST-Cat) and the human–animal relationship (Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, LAPS) and the Milan Pet Quality of Life instrument (MPQL). Overall, 235 participants reported about 242 adult pets (Ncats = 78, Ndogs = 164). Factor analysis confirmed the structure and internal reliability of the existing scales (RST-PQ, RST-Dog, RST-Cat, LAPS) and suggested a four-factor structure for the MPQL (physical, psychological, social, environmental). The results indicate that the pets’ psysical QoL was largely explained by pet-related elements (pets’ demographics and life experience, and pets’ personality). Conversely, the pets’ psychological QoL was explained mostly by owner-related elements, such as the owners’ demographics, COVID-19-related changes, and the owners’ personality. Predictably, the pets’ environmental QoL is mostly explained by environmental factors, such as the outdoor access in the home environment and the country. Finally, the pets’ social QoL was explained by the larger combination of models: pets’ characteristics and personality, environment and COVID-19-related changes, and the pet–human relationship. These findings can be explained by two non-mutually exclusive mechanisms. The reported changes may be a by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic’s psychological and lifestyle effects on the owners, which in turn alter the way the owners interact with their pets and look after them. However, the owners’ characteristics and mood may bias their answers regarding their pets.