title: Health related quality of life six months following surgical treatment for secondary peritonitis--using the EQ-5D questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare health related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients surgically treated for secondary peritonitis to that of a healthy population. And to prospectively identify factors associated with poorer (lower) HR-QoL.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort of secondary peritonitis patients was mailed the EQ-5D and EQ-VAS 6-months following initial laparotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicenter study in two academic and seven regional teaching hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  130 of the 155 eligible patients (84%) responded to the HR-QoL questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HR-QoL was significantly worse on all dimensions in peritonitis patients than in a healthy reference population. Peritonitis characteristics at initial presentation were not associated with HR-QoL at six months. A more complicated course of the disease leading to longer hospitalization times and patients with an enterostomy had a negative impact on the mobility (p = 0.02), self-care (p < 0.001) and daily activities: (p = 0.01). In a multivariate analysis for the EQ-VAS every doubling of hospital stay decreases the EQ-VAS by 3.8 points (p = 0.015). Morbidity during the six-month follow-up was not found to be predictive for the EQ-5D or EQ-VAS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Six months following initial surgery, patients with secondary peritonitis report more problems in HR-QoL than a healthy reference population. Unfavorable disease characteristics at initial presentation were not predictive for poorer HR-QoL, but a more complicated course of the disease was most predictive of HR-QoL at 6 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. k.r.boer@amc.nl
authors.forename: Kimberly R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Boer
authors.forename: Oddeke
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: van Ruler
authors.forename: Johannes B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Reitsma
authors.forename: Cecilia W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Mahler
authors.forename: Brent C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Opmeer
authors.forename: E Ascelijn
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Reuland
authors.forename: Hein G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Gooszen
authors.forename: Peter W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: de Graaf
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Hesselink
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Gerhards
authors.forename: E Philip
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Steller
authors.forename: Mirjam A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sprangers
authors.forename: Marja A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Boermeester
authors.forename: Corianne A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: De Borgie
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D000368:Aged; D004766:Enterostomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007813:Laparotomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012086:Reoperation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires