Dataset Information

Visual analogue scales in stroke: what can they tell us about health-related quality of life?

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Contrasting accounts exist on whether people with stroke are able to self-report on outcomes using visual analogue scales (VASs). We explored correlations between multi-item scale-rated health-related quality of life (HRQL) and VAS-rated HRQL after stroke, and compared those with versus without aphasia.

Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Setting

Community dwelling stroke patients living in London.

Participants

People with first stroke were recruited during their hospital stay and were assessed 3 months later.

Measures

The Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test, the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale (SAQOL-39g) and a single vertical VAS.

Results

73 people took part, 14 with aphasia. VAS scores were significantly correlated with the overall SAQOL-39g (r=0.69, p<0.01). SAQOL-39g subdomain scores were also correlated with VAS scores, with the psychosocial domain most highly correlated (r=0.67, p<0.01) and the communication least correlated (?=0.30, p<0.05). SAQOL-39g-VAS difference scores were higher for people with aphasia and the difference was significant (t (71)=2.02, p<0.05).

Conclusions

Despite the significant correlation of the overall SAQOL-39g and the VAS-rated HRQL, subdomain results suggested that people considered mostly psychosocial aspects when rating their HRQL on a single VAS. Agreement was poorer for people with aphasia, raising issues for the use of VASs with people with aphasia.

SUBMITTER: Hilari K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3787490 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Visual analogue scales in stroke: what can they tell us about health-related quality of life?

Hilari Katerina K Boreham Lois-Danielle LD

BMJ open 20130924 9

<h4>Objectives</h4> Contrasting accounts exist on whether people with stroke are able to self-report on outcomes using visual analogue scales (VASs). We explored correlations between multi-item scale-rated health-related quality of life (HRQL) and VAS-rated HRQL after stroke, and compared those with versus without aphasia.<h4>Design</h4>Cross-sectional survey.<h4>Setting</h4>Community dwelling stroke patients living in London.<h4>Participants</h4>People with first stroke were recruited during th ...[more]

PMID: 24068764

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Project description:AimBehavioral dysexecutive syndrome (BDES) is one common neuropsychiatric comorbidity after stroke. Despite evidences suggesting the adverse effect of BDES on the survivors' outcome, little is known about the association between BDES and the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among stroke survivors and how BDES impacts the HRQoL. This study aimed to address these questions.MethodsThis study included 219 patients with acute ischemic stroke consecutively admitted to a regional hospital in Hong Kong. BDES was defined as a Chinese version of the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) score of ≥20 assessed at three months after stroke. The HRQoL was assessed with the Chinese version of the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SSQoL) questionnaire encompassing 12 domains. Multivariate linear regression models were employed to examine the association between BDES symptoms and the SSQoL total and domain scores. Structural equation model (SEM) was further constructed to delineate the linking pathways linking BDES and the HRQoL.ResultsThe study sample compromised mainly older patients with mild to moderate ischemic stroke. Compared with patients without BDES, those with BDES exhibited poorer performances regarding with the summarized SSQoL (226.2 ± 18.8 vs. 200.3 ± 29.8, p < 0.001) and almost all domains. The BDES symptoms were independently contributed to the whole HRQoL (SSQoL total score) (β = -0.20, p = 0.002), specifically to the domains in personality (β = -0.34, p < 0.001), language (β = -0.22, p = 0.01), and work/productivity (β = -0.32, p < 0.001), after adjusting demographic and clinical characteristics in linear models. The impacts of the BDES symptoms on the HRQoL were mainly explained by the indirect path mediated by depression and anxiety (path coefficient = -0.27, p < 0.05) rather than physical disability, while the resting was elucidated by the path directly linking BDES to the HRQoL (path coefficient = -0.17, p < 0.05).ConclusionThe present study preliminarily demonstrated a potential association between BDES and a lower level of the HRQoL, predominantly in domains of personality, language, and work/productivityafter acute ischemic stroke. This study also offered insights into the underlying mechanisms linking BDES and the HRQoL, implicating that integrative psychological therapies were urged to achieve better HRQoL after stroke.

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Dataset Information

Visual analogue scales in stroke: what can they tell us about health-related quality of life?

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Visual analogue scales in stroke: what can they tell us about health-related quality of life?

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