title: Should we use the shorter Thai-version quality of life and symptoms questionnaires in women with overactive bladder?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to test: (i) the validation and reliability of the Thai versions of overactive bladder (OAB) questionnaires (the 8-item and 3-item Overactive Bladder Symptoms Score questionnaires [OAB-v8 and OAB-v3, respectively] and the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire [OAB-q]); and (ii) the correlation of the OAB-v8, OAB-v3, and the single-question Quality of Life Questionnaire (1-QoL) to the OAB-q in Thai women with OAB.
  
  
  METHODS
  During January to March 2011, 36 Thai women with OAB attending a urogynecology clinic at Chulalongkorn Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand were recruited. All questionnaires were given as a psychometric test twice, 2 weeks apart.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cronbach's alpha of the OAB-v8 was higher (and above 0.7) than OAB-v3 at both week 0 and week 2. The intraclass correlations (ricc ) were 0.64, 0.85, and 0.97 for the OABV8, OAB-v3, and OAB-q, respectively. The correlation coefficient (r) of OAB-v3 and OAB-q at weeks 0 and 2 (0.40 and 0.49) were lower than those for OAB-v8 and OAB-q at weeks 0 and 2 (0.62 and 0.62). All questions on the OAB-v3 had a lower weighted kappa than OAB-v8. There was no statistically significant difference in the OAB-q score in each level of 1-QoL score at week 0 (P = 0.12) and at week 2 (P = 0.29).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reliability of the OAB-v3 is poorer than that of the OAB-v8. The OAB-v3 is poorer correlated to the OAB-q than to the OAB-v8. A short questionnaire, such as the OAB-v3 and the 1-QoL, has poor reliability and is poorly correlated to the OAB-q and is not recommended as a replacement for the standard questionnaires, such as the OAB-q and the OAB-v8. The OAB-v3 should only be used in large screening populations where there are time limits.
authors.affiliation: Femal Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
authors.forename: Suvit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bunyavejchevin
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, China Rehabilitation Research Center and Department of Urology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shing-Hwa
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Asan Medical Center, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Myung-Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Choo
authors.affiliation: Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Khalid Javed
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Rabbani
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Piyalamporn
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Havanond
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand; D053201:Urinary Bladder, Overactive / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: 3-item Overactive Bladder Symptoms Score Questionnaire; 8-item Overactive Bladder Symptoms Score Questionnaire; Overactive Bladder Questionnaire; overactive bladder; questionnaires