title: Despite some comprehension problems the International Index of Erectile Function is a reliable questionnaire in erectile dysfunction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the reliability of the physician-assisted International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF).
  
  
  METHODS
  374 patients who applied to our clinic with erectile dysfunction problems were asked to complete the IIEF questionnaire; 225 patients who visited the clinic again within 1-3 days completed the IIEF questionnaire again. All questions were answered by the patients themselves. At both visits, necessary explanations were provided by the physician to patients who requested assistance. Data obtained from the first and second questionnaires were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant difference between the first and second questionnaires with respect to certain questions. Nevertheless, no significant difference was found between the IIEF.1 and IIEF.2 scores (p > 0.20) for the group overall or for any subgroups. The test-retest correlation coefficients for all patients were highly significant (r = 0.909, p < 0.01). A high degree of internal consistency was observed for each of the first and second physician-assisted IIEF questionnaires (Cronbach's α 0.926 and 0.908, respectively, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physician assistance increased the comprehensibility of the IIEF in elderly patients and in patients with low education levels. Despite some comprehension problems in these patient groups the physician-assisted IIEF questionnaire was found to be consistent and reliable in all patient groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Private Pendik Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. zekibay@superonline.com
authors.forename: Zeki
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bayraktar
authors.forename: Ali Ihsan
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Atun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D032882:Comprehension; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004522:Educational Status; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010410:Penile Erection; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey