This is the Scientific Surgery Archive, which contains all randomized clinical trials in surgery that have been identified by searching the top 50 English language medical journal issues since January 1998. Compiled by Jonothan J. Earnshaw, former Editor-in-Chief, BJS
Simple questionnaire for assessing core outcomes in inguinal hernia repair. BJS 2011; 98: 148-155.
Published: 2nd September 2010
Authors: R. F. Staerkle, P. Villiger
Background
Patient‐oriented questionnaires are indispensable in the assessment of surgical outcome. The psychometric properties of a brief multidimensional instrument were examined in patients with inguinal hernia undergoing surgery.
Method
Fifty‐one patients (mean(s.d.) age 50·6(17·4) years; 48 men) participated. The following questionnaire properties were assessed for the Core Outcome Measures Index adapted for patients with hernia (COMI‐hernia) and the EuroQol: practicability, floor and ceiling effects, test–retest reliability (over 2 weeks), construct validity (by comparison with other relevant scales) and responsiveness 9 months after surgery as standardized response mean (SRM).
Results
The questionnaires were easy to implement and well accepted by the patients. Ceiling effects at baseline were 2 per cent for the COMI‐hernia, 8 per cent for EuroQol—visual analogue scale (EQ‐VAS) and 35 per cent for EuroQol—Five Dimensions (EQ‐5D); no instrument showed floor effects. The reproducibility of individual COMI‐hernia items was good, with test–retest differences within one grade ranging from 41 of 45 for ‘social/work disability’ to 44 of 45 for ‘general quality of life’. The intraclass correlation coefficients were moderately high for COMI‐hernia (0·74) and EQ‐VAS (0·77), but low for EQ‐5D (0·43). COMI‐hernia scores correlated in the expected manner with related scales (r = 0·42–0·72, P < 0·050). COMI‐hernia was the most responsive instrument (SRM 1·42).
Conclusion
The COMI‐hernia and EQ‐VAS general health scale represent reliable, valid and sensitive tools for assessing multidimensional outcome in patients with inguinal hernia undergoing surgical treatment. Copyright © 2010 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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