title: Validation and Reliability of the Wisconsin Stone Quality of Life Questionnaire.
abstract: WISQOL (Wisconsin Stone Quality of Life questionnaire) is a disease specific, health related quality of life measure designed for patients who form kidney stones. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the external and convergent validity of WISQOL and assess its psychometric properties.
  
  
  
  At the WISQOL creation site (development sample) and at 8 geographically diverse centers in the United States and Canada (consortium sample) patients with a history of kidney stones were recruited. Item response option variability, correlation patterns and internal consistency were compared between samples. Convergent validity was assessed by patients who completed both WISQOL and SF-36v2® (36-Item Short Form Health Survey, version 2).
  
  
  
  Results were analyzed in 1,609 patients, including 275 in the development sample and 1,334 in the consortium sample. Response option variability patterns of all items were acceptable. Internal WISQOL consistency was acceptable. Intersample score comparisons revealed few differences. For both samples the domain-total WISQOL score correlations exceeded 0.86. Item level analyses demonstrated suitable variation, allowing for discriminatory scoring. At the time that they completed WISQOL, patients with stones and stone related symptoms scored lowest for health related quality of life. Patients with stones but no symptoms and those with no stones scored higher. The convergent validity substudy confirmed the ability of WISQOL to identify stone specific decrements in health related quality of life that were not identified on SF-36v2.
  
  
  
  WISQOL is internally consistent and discriminates among patients with different stone statuses and symptoms. WISQOL is externally valid across the North American population. It may be used for multicenter health related quality of life studies in kidney stone disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin. Electronic address: penn@urology.wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Kristina L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Penniston
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Jodi A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Antonelli
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Davis P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Viprakasit
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Averch
authors.affiliation: Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Sri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sivalingam
authors.affiliation: University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Roger L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sur
authors.affiliation: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire.
authors.forename: Vernon M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Pais
authors.affiliation: Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Ben H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.affiliation: University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida.
authors.forename: Vincent G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Bird
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Stephen Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Nakada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014922:Wisconsin
keywords: kidney; nephrolithiasis; patient reported outcome measures; quality of life; surveys and questionnaires