Modification and evaluation of a Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Quality-of-Life instrument.
OBJECTIVE
To modify the existing 45-item Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI) Quality-of-Life (QOL) instrument (VPIQL), to assess the modified instrument for reliability, and to provide further validation.


METHODS
Validation convenience sample from a previously conducted pilot study.


METHODS
Two academic tertiary referral medical centers.


METHODS
Deidentified data were used from 29 patients with VPI and 29 control patients aged 5 to 17 years and their parents.


METHODS
Patients and parents completed the VPIQL and a generic pediatric QOL instrument (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Version 4 [PedsQL4-0]). Twenty-two items were removed from the VPIQL for ceiling effects, floor effects, and redundancy to produce the modified instrument: the VPI Effects on Life Outcomes instrument (VELO). The VELO was tested for internal consistency (Cronbach α), discriminant validity (paired t test with control patients), and concurrent validity (Pearson correlation with the PedsQL4-0). These analyses were also completed for the parents.


RESULTS
The 45-item VPIQL was reduced to the 23-item VELO, which had excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α, .96 for parents and .95 for patients with VPI). The VELO also discriminated well between the patients with VPI and the control patients, with a mean (SD) score that was significantly lower (worse) for patients with VPI (67.6 [23.9]) than for control patients (97.0 [5.2]) (P < .001). The VELO total score was significantly correlated with the PedsQL4.0 (r = 0.73) among the patients with VPI. Similar results were seen in parent responses.


CONCLUSIONS
The VELO is a 23-item QOL instrument that was designed to measure and follow QOL in patients with VPI, with less burden than the original VPIQL. The VELO demonstrates internal consistency, discriminant validity, and concurrent validity with the PedsQL4-0.
Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Washington, 1959 Pacific St NE, PO Box 356515, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. jskirko@uw.edu
Jonathan R
JR
Skirko
Edward M
EM
Weaver
Jonathan
J
Perkins
Sara
S
Kinter
Kathleen C Y
KC
Sie
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014681:Velopharyngeal Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis