abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) provides a global view of the state of health of a patient receiving home enteral nutrition (HEN).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the HRQoL of patients receiving HEN using the NutriQoL® questionnaire, a specific instrument regardless of the underlying disease and route of administration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational, prospective and multicentre study conducted in the context of the validation and assessment of the NutriQoL® questionnaire's psychometric properties.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-hundred-and-forty individuals [disease: cancer (58.6%), malabsorption and other (27.1%), neurological (13.6%); HEN: supplement (61.4%), sole source of nutrition (35.7%); administration route: oral (54.3%), ostomy (31.4%), nasoenteric tube (12.1%)] participated. NutriQoL® was reliable [ICC: 0.88 (95%CI: 0.80-0.93); Cronbach's α: 0.77 (1st visit) and 0.83 (2nd visit)], valid (significant Rho), lowly sensitive to changes (effect size 0.23), can be completed by either patients or caregivers (ICC: 0.82). The mean HRQoL (SD) with NutriQoL® was 14.98 (14.86), EQ-5D tariff: 53(0.25), EQ-5D VAS: 54.15 (20.64) and COOP/WONCA charts: 23.32(5.66). HRQoL with NutriQoL® was better (p < 0.05) for oral HEN [19.54 (13,23)], than nasoenteric tube [14(11.71)], ostomy [7.02 (15.48)]; administered orally [19.54 (13.23)], than by gravity [10.97 (14.46)], pump [8.5 (19.78)] or syringe bolus [7 (11.40)]; as a supplement [19.33 (13.73)] instead of sole source of nutrition [8.18 (14.23)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NutriQoL® is valid, reliable, even if lowly sensitive to change, and useful to measure HRQoL in this population. More studies are needed to know HRQoL in routine practice.
authors.affiliation: lizan@outcomes10.com.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Apezetxea
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carrillo
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Casanueva
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cuerda
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cuesta
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Irles
authors.forename: María Nuria
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Virgili
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Layola
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lizán
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016331:Parenteral Nutrition, Home / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Home enteral  nutrition. Healthrelated quality of  life. Questionnaire.  NutriQoL®.