title: Female Assessment of Male Erectile dysfunction detection scale (FAME): development and validation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although erectile dysfunction (ED) affects both members of the couple, no tools exist for the detection of ED by the female partner.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to develop a scale for the detection of ED, as assessed by the female partner.
  
  
  METHODS
  Development and validation of the Female Assessment of Male Erectile dysfunction detection scale (FAME) consisted of five stages: (i) two focus group discussions conducted among female partners of ED sufferers; (ii) item construction; (iii) initial content validation to document face validity and reduce number of items; (iv) final selection of items and investigation of concurrent validity and reliability, sensitivity and specificity of the scale in 83 Spanish-speaking couples; and (v) multicenter study conducted in a group of 106 English-speaking couples. Concurrent validity was assessed using Spearman's rho correlation coefficients between FAME and clinical diagnosis, the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), and the erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-EF). Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, and sensitivity and specificity was investigated using clinical diagnosis as the gold standard criterion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Validity, reliability, specificity, and sensitivity of the FAME scale when correlated with SHIM, IIEF-EF, and clinical diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Qualitative analysis yielded 44 clues; 21 items demonstrated statistical significance as the best discriminating items using a t-test for independent samples. A final scale of six items was tested for validity, reliability, specificity, and sensitivity. FAME correlated significantly with clinical diagnosis (0.791, P < 0.001), the SHIM (0.788, P < 0.001), and the IIEF-EF (0.777, P < 0.001). Additional support for discriminant validity was obtained with receiver operating characteristics analysis. Cronbach's alpha was 0.941. Sensitivity was 96.1% and specificity 86.0%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accurate detection of ED in men by the female partner is possible. In this study, FAME demonstrated concurrent validity and very good reliability, as well as excellent sensitivity and specificity.
authors.affiliation: Asociación Mexicana para la Salud Sexual, AC (AMSSAC), Mexico City, Mexico. eusebio@amssac.org
authors.forename: Eusebio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rubio-Aurioles
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sand
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Terrein-Roccatti
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Longworth
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Eardley
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brock
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Iván Arango
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: de Montis
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rampazzo-Bonaldo
mesh_terms: D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D018783:Impotence, Vasculogenic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires