[German-language questionnaires for the standardized assessment of fecal incontinence and quality of life].
OBJECTIVE
The severity of fecal incontinence is usually assessed in grades based on medical history. However, this grading does not consider stool frequency and thus the impairment suffered by the patients. A German translation of the incontinence scores of the Cleveland Clinic (CCS) for a standardized measurement disability has been recommended but not yet tested. Similarly, the impact of fecal incontinence on quality of life needs to be assessed with a specific assessment. The Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale (FIQoL) is available for this, but not yet a German-language version.


METHODS
For the German version of the CCS and the FIQoL we first evaluated linguistic aspects via translation and back-translation. We then compared the response to the translated questionnaires of a sample of 158 German patients who had fecal incontinence with those reported in English-language publications.


RESULTS
The German versions were judged to be successful. The comparison with six published studies showed similar scores in the CCS and in all subscales of the FIQoL.


CONCLUSIONS
Satisfactory German-language questionnaires are now available to assess the severity of fecal incontinence and specific aspects of the quality of life.
König
I R
IR
Institut für Medizinische Biometrie und Statistik, Universität zu Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Schwandner
T
T
Roblick
M
M
Heimerl
A
A
Ziegler
A
A
D000368:Aged; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000145:classification* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards