title: An online patient completed Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire can help to guide primary care referrals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the feasibility and reliability of an online patient completed Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ) as a tool to guide specialist referral.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective qualitative and quantitative study. One hundred and six patients completed an online questionnaire. Some 43 (40%) completed the AVVQ questionnaire at home and 63 (60%) did it immediately before their appointment. Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) and CEAP grades were assigned by a consultant vascular surgeon. In 11 patients, the questionnaire was repeated at the time of surgery to assess reproducibility and bias.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The AVVQ correlated with the specialist's VCSS scores (Spearman coefficient 0.795; p < 0.01) and similarly with CEAP grade (P < 0.01, ANOVA test). AVVQ was reproducible with close agreement (Spearman coefficient 0.89; p < 0.01) between both 1st AVVQ score of 21.61 (sd 10.26; range 6.12-40.14) and 2nd AVVQ score of 21.03 (sd 10.50 range 4.51-42.57). Patients' feedback about the online AVVQ was positive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An online questionnaire is acceptable to patients, correlates with clinical findings and using a threshold value could be used by healthcare Commissioners to guide varicose vein referrals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Nottingham University Hospital, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abisi
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Braithwaite
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D004739:England; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014648:Varicose Veins / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy