DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUTION OF A TURKISH "RHINITIS QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE"

Abstract

Objective: Questioning the quality of life in patients with chronic diseases is important. However questionnaires should be suitable to the structure and habits of the community studied as well as it should be easily understood. Considering the fact that rhinitis adversely affect the quality of life, we developed a rhinitis scale of quality of life, which suits the life style and habits of our population in patients with rhinitis. Material and Method: Scale includes the 28 parameters that are needed to be graded and scored about daily activities, nasal symptoms, and eye complaints, sleep disorders in addition to social and emotional assessment. A total of 163 patients with allergic rhinitis, that applied to Allergy division of Internal Medicine Department of Istanbul Medical School have been included into the study Symptoms scoring has been performed with short form 36 (SF-36) and novel scale at week 0, week 1 and 1 month after treatment. The results of newly developed rhinitis quality of life scale were compared with statistical methods for language validity, reliability, repeatability, reproducibility and sensitivity. Results: Language validity of scale was shown (n=20). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) is 0.8877, Cronbach cilia is 0.94; these values are high and represent the reliability of new scale (control at 1. week without treatment n=38). Although there is a weak correlation between the results of new scale and SF-36 sub parameter scores, these correlations were significant in statistical analysis (n=.103) (validation). New scale was significantly sensitive for determining the pre and post treatment changes (n=103) (z=-7.452, p=0.000). Conclusion: This newly developed scale is practical, easy to be administrated in short periods; also it has sufficient reliability, reproducibility, validity and sensitivity characteristics. We concluded that this scale is suitable for both determining the clinical status and response to treatment in patients with allergic rhinitis.