title: A comparison of the psychometric properties of the Mini-Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Rhinitis Control Assessment Test.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationships between validated quality of life tools and control tools have not been explored for rhinitis. This study was designed to determine relationships of the Mini-Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniRQLQ) and the Rhinitis Control Assessment  Test (RCAT) to each other regarding content and predictive abilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were adult members of a large integrated care organization with an encounter diagnosis of rhinitis in the prior 2 years. Patients completed mailed questionnaires at baseline that  contained the MiniRQLQ and the RCAT and three follow-up questionnaires that contained those tools as well as questions regarding missed work or school because of rhinitis and frequency and effectiveness of medications used for rhinitis. Medications dispensed during the follow-up year were  obtained from computerized pharmacy records. Results of allergy tests were retrieved for patients seen in the Allergy Department.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final cohort included 1051 patients. Baseline RCAT scores were strongly correlated with baseline MiniRQLQ scores in both allergic  (r = -0.80) and nonallergic (r = -0.84) patients. Baseline MiniRQLQ and RCAT scores were significantly related to patient reports of missed school/work, medication use, and effectiveness over the next 3 months and to dispensing during the following year of total and some individual  rhinitis medications. Test-retest reliability, responsiveness, and a preliminary minimal important difference (>2.5) were shown for the RCAT, using the MiniRQLQ as an anchor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MiniRQLQ and RCAT are strongly related to each other and both predict  subsequent rhinitis outcomes. Determining the comparative usefulness of these tools will require further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, San Diego, California 92111, USA. michael.x.schatz@kp.org
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schatz
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Zeiger
authors.forename: Wansu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Su-Jau
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Stanford
authors.forename: Cindy P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Garris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires