Reproducibility and clinical and concurrent validity of the MSF-4: a four-item male sexual function questionnaire for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
BACKGROUND
The MSF-4 (Male Sexual Function 4-item) questionnaire is a condition-specific four-item scale of men's sexuality. We describe two studies that were conducted to assess the reproducibility and validity of the MSF-4 questionnaire.


METHODS
Study 1 was a Phase III, multicenter study with a double-blind, parallel group design which was conducted in five countries. The objectives were to check the construct validity and factorial structure of the MSF-4 along with internal consistency reliability and clinical validity. Study 2 was a longitudinal, noncomparative, observational multicenter study to assess the reproducibility and the clinical and concurrent validity of the MSF-4.


RESULTS
When exploratory factor analysis was performed with a free number of factors, the variability of the global MSF-4 score was based on a single factor across all countries in Study 1 except Spain. There was a high level of internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alphas 0.68-0.90) and the MSF-4 was able to significantly discriminate different health states as assessed by the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) or Quality of Life (QoL) questionnaire. In study 2, there was a significant correlation between the MSF-4 and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores (p = .0001 for all items) especially erectile function (correlation coefficient -0.77). The MSF-4 was able to distinguish among patients with differing degrees of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms as measured by the I-PSS (p = .0001) and between those with and without sexual disorders (p = .0001).


CONCLUSIONS
The MSF-4 is a psychometrically validated questionnaire with good reproducibility and clinical validity, which allows easy and appropriate assessment of male sexual function in the clinical setting.
Marquis
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Marrel
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D000368:Aged; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D028024:Serenoa; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D010936:Plant Extracts; C040972:saw palmetto extract