title: Psychometric evaluation of the Swallowing Outcomes After Laryngectomy (SOAL) patient-reported outcome measure.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swallowing Outcomes After Laryngectomy (SOAL) in a large group of people who underwent a laryngectomy.
  
  
  
  We conducted a cross-sectional psychometric study of laryngectomy patients (minimum 3 months posttreatment) attending routine hospital follow-up for the psychometric evaluation of SOAL.
  
  
  
  One hundred ten people participated in this study. Thirteen percent of the patients had a laryngectomy, 63% had laryngectomy with radiotherapy, and 24% had laryngectomy with chemoradiation therapy. The SOAL showed good quality of data (minimal missing data and floor effects); good internal consistency (α = 0.91); and adequate test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.73). In terms of validity, it differentiated people by treatment group (F(2,85) = 8.02; p = .001) and diet texture group (t(102) = -7.33; p < .001).
  
  
  
  The SOAL demonstrates good validity and has potential for use in research. Further study is required to determine its clinical application. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1639-E1645, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Cancer Centre, University College London Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK.|Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, Health Behaviour Research Centre, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Roganie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Govender
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Cancer Centre, University College London Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Mary T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Regional Medical Physics Department, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drinnan
authors.affiliation: Speech and Language Therapy, Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Tarni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Speech and Language Therapy, Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, London, UK.|Guy's Hospital London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Twinn
authors.affiliation: Division of Language and Communication Science, City University London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hilari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003679:Deglutition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007825:Laryngectomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000071066:Patient Reported Outcome Measures; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: head and neck cancer; laryngectomy; patient-reported outcome measure; psychometric evaluation; swallowing