title: Assessment of the psychometric properties of the Short-Form Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12) following surgical placement of Prolift+M: a transvaginal partially absorbable mesh system for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Impairment of sexual function is a significant problem among women suffering from pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Because anatomical measures of POP do not always correspond with patients' subjective reports of their condition, patient-reported outcome measures may provide additional valuable information regarding the experiences of women who have undergone surgery. The Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12) is a validated, widely used condition-specific questionnaire focused on sexual function among patients with POP or urinary incontinence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to report sexual function outcomes as measured by PISQ-12 and to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire following surgical mesh implant for the treatment of POP.
  
  
  METHODS
  The PISQ-12 was used to measure sexual function, while a set of other measures, namely, Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification, Patient Global Impression of Change, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory, Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire, and Surgical Satisfaction Questionnaire, was used for validation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data for the study were collected from a prospective multicenter, single-arm study of surgical POP repair via the transvaginal placement of a partially absorbable mesh system. For baseline, month 3, and month 12 following POP surgery, several psychometric properties of the PISQ-12 were evaluated, including internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and responsiveness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As measured by the PISQ-12 questionnaire, statistically significant improvements were observed in the composite summary score as well as all three subscale scores at 1 year. The PISQ-12 generally demonstrated good psychometric properties including internal consistency reliability, validity, and responsiveness. The PISQ-12 items had good distributional properties at baseline, with substantial ceiling effects at follow-up visits reflecting improvements experienced by the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PISQ-12 is a valid measure of sexual function in studies involving patients with POP.
authors.affiliation: Evidence Based Medicine, Ethicon Inc., Somerville, NJ 44125, USA. sroy13@its.jnj.com
authors.forename: Sanjoy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohandas
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Coyne
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gelhorn
authors.forename: Judi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gauld
authors.forename: Vanja
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sikirica
authors.forename: Alfredo L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Milani
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014596:Uterine Prolapse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*