[Psychometric properties of the Euroqol measure in patients with muscular dystrophy].
OBJECTIVE
To analyse patient-reported outcome measures and to assess acceptability, test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the Euroqol measure (EQ), a conceptual health-related quality-of-life measure (HRQoL), for patients with muscular dystrophy.


METHODS
One hundred and four consecutive outpatients completed the EQ in Reims university hospital between April 2002 and February 2005, and 60 patients were followed over 1 year. The acceptability of the EQ-5D and EQ-EVA measures was assessed by using the completion rate per dimension as an indicator; test-retest reliability was assessed with kappa and Spearman coefficients for qualitative data and the intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) for quantitative data. Over the year, EQ-EVA score responsiveness was calculated according to the standardised response of the mean (SRM).


RESULTS
Participation rate (96.3%) and EQ-5D completion rates were excellent, between 95.2 and 100%. Test-retest reliability after 15+/-7 days was excellent for the autonomy domain (kappa coefficient=0.81) and moderate for the other dimensions. EQ-EVA score stability was satisfactory (ICC=0.72). Global perceived health (EQ-EVA) was not associated with level of dependency but was associated with pain domain scores. EQ-EVA responsiveness was moderate (effect size=0.6) in the patients with a change in health status over 1 year and in reference to the relevant SF-36 item.


CONCLUSIONS
EQ is a well-accepted tool for measuring HRQoL in this group of patients with muscular dystrophy. The prognostic interest of these subjective measures has yet to be demonstrated; however, these measures provide interesting additional information.
Mercier-Juttier
H
H
Service de médecine physique et de réadaptation, hôpital Sébastopol CHU, Reims cedex, France.
Novella
J-L
JL
Carré-Pigeon
F
F
Chaunu
M-P
MP
Gaillard
D
D
Boyer
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires