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Clinical Research on Dyspnea
Author Bios
What is Dyspnea?
What Provokes Dyspnea?
The Nature of Dyspnea
Language of Dyspnea
Clinical Application
Research Application
Variability in Sensations
Challenges in Study
Mechanical Loads and Sense of Effort
Chemoreceptors
Mechanoreceptors
Neuro-Mechanical Dissociation
Phase of Respiration and Dyspnea
Physiology of Dyspnea
Respiratory System
Cardiovascular System
Measuring Dyspnea
Scaling Issues
Qualitative Aspects
Reliability and Validity Overview
Reliability and Validity
Sensitivity and Specificity
Scales
Sensation vs. Perception vs. Symptom
Treating Dyspnea
Currently selected section: Why Measure?
Cluster Analysis
Statistical vs. Clinical Significance
Standard Error of Measurement
Measuring Fatigue
Measuring Depression
Measuring Anxiety and Hyperventilation
Measuring Quality of Life
Conclusion

 

Chapter 23: Dyspnea: More on Why and How We Measure
        

We have entered a complicated phase of symptom research: in this mix are increasing numbers of multi-item scales intended to detect minimal clinically important differences in either generic or disease--specific health-related quality of life (Kroenke, 2001). A simple count of PubMed citations confirms that since the mid--1970s the number of investigations measuring health status merely with the Medical Outcomes Study 36--item Short Form (SF--36) -- including those involving patients with obstructive airway disease (OADQOFL) -- has risen exponentially.

Figure 26.1: Scatterplot of the Number of PUBMED Citations Using the SF-36 in any Study (Red Dots) or in Studies of Obstructive Airway Disease (Green Dots) Since 1970
A simple count of PubMed citations confirms that since the mid--1970s the number of investigations measuring health status merely with the Medical Outcomes Study 36--item Short Form (SF--36) -- including those involving patients with obstructive airway disease (OADQOFL) -- has risen exponentially, described in text.

There is no best way yet to organize our menu of over 200 quality of life measures. Some efforts attend to particular dimensions of experience such as health status, functional status, and symptoms (http://www.atsqol.org/). Other efforts, such as those evident in the 1999 American Thoracic Society statement on pulmonary rehabilitation (American Thoracic Society, 1999), are aligned with the World Health Organization's international classification of impairments, disabilities, and handicaps.

Table 26.2: Commonly Used Outcome Measures in Pulmonary Rehabilitation Arranged by the WHO's International Classification System of Impairment, Disability, and Handicap
Outcome Measures
Impairment
Disability
Handicap
Symptoms
Exercise ability        
Incremental exercise tests X
   
  
  
Submaximal exercise tests
X
  
  
  
Walking tests
  
X
  
  
General health status
  
   
  
  
Sickness Impact Profile (SIP)
  
X
X
  
Quality of Well Being Scale (QWB)
  
X
X
  
Medical Outcomes Study, Short-Form 36 (SF-36)
  
X
X
P
Respiratory-specific health status
   
  
   
  
St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ)
  
X
X
D
Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ or CRDQ)
  
X
X
F
Respiratory-specific functional status
  
  
  
  
Pulmonary Functional Statu and Dyspnea Questionnaire (PFSDQ)
  
X
X
D
Modified version (PFSDQ-M)
  
X
X
D/F
Pulmonary Functional Status Scale (PFSS)
  
X
X
  
Exertional dyspnea
  
  
  
  
Visual analog scale rating during exercise testing (VAS)
  
  
  
D/F/P
   Category rating (Borg) during    exercise testing
  
  
  
D/F/P
Overall dyspnea
  
  
  
  
Medical Research Council Scale (MRC)
  
X
  
  
Baseline and Transitional Dyspnea Indexes (BDI and TDI)
  
X
  
  

 

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