A New Measure to Assess Asthma’s Impact on Quality of Life from the Patient’s Perspective

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2017
Source:Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Author(s): Sandra R. Wilson, Michael J. Mulligan, Estela Ayala, Alan Chausow, Qiwen Huang, Sarah B. Knowles, Santosh Gummidipundi, Mario Castro, Robert A. Wise
BackgroundThe Asthma Impact on Quality of Life Scale (A-IQOLS) assesses the negative effect of asthma on quality of life (QoL) from the patient's perspective, using dimensions of Flanagan's Quality of Life Scale (QOLS), a measure of current QoL.ObjectivesTo determine and compare the psychometric properties of the A-IQOLS and QOLS, including their sensitivities to differences and changes in asthma status.MethodsIn a test-retest design (3-5 week interval), adults with persistent asthma underwent spirometry and were administered the A-IQOLS, other asthma outcome measures (ACT, ASUI, Marks and Juniper AQLQs), and QOLS.ResultsParticipants' (n = 147) mean age was 49 yrs.; 76% were White; 12% Hispanic; 65% female. A-IQOLS and QOLS scores were significantly correlated with other asthma outcomes scores except FEV1, but shared relatively low common variance with these measures. A-IQOLS, but not QOLS, score changes were significantly correlated with changes in asthma outcomes. The A-IQOLS SEM = 0.27 implies that a within-person score change of ≥ ±0.73 constitutes a true change. The QOLS SEM = 0.43.ConclusionsA-IQOLS provides a reliable, valid, and unique assessment of the patient-perceived negative effect of asthma on their QoL, suitable for use in asthma clinical research and potentially in clinical care. Further studies are needed in diverse patient populations. QOLS, a measure of current QoL, is less sensitive to disease status changes but may be useful in characterizing study populations, in treatment adherence research, and as a clinical and research tool in patients with multiple, severe, and/or life-limiting chronic conditions.



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