INSTRUMENT TO ASSESS QUALITY OF LIFE IN CVD

DEVELOPMENT OF A VALID AND RELIABLE INSTRUMENT TO EASILY MEASURE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY PROMINENT INVESTIGATORS AND HEALTH AUTHORITIES AS A PRIORITYNEED FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESEARCH. MANY NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH CLINICAL TRIALS AND OTHER HEALTH RESEARCHERS SUPPLEMENT STANDARD MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OUTCOMES WITH QOL INDICATORS SUCH AS FUNCTIONAL STATUS, EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING, AND EMOTIONAL STATUS. OFTEN THESE MEASURES ARE NOT CONSTRUCTED ACCORDING TO SOUND PSYCHOMETRIC SCALING METHODS. THOSE THAT HAVE ADEQUATE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY ARE EITHER TOO NARROW (ONLY FOCUSING ON ONE DIMENSION OF QOL) OR TOO LONG. THE FINAL PRODUCT OF THIS INITIATIVE WILL BE AN EASILY ADMINISTERED MULTIDIMENSIONAL QOL MEASURE, DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, THAT IS SENSITIVE ENOUGH TO DISCRIMINATE QOL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES IN CLINICAL TRIALS EVALUATING MEDICAL OR SURGICAL INTERVENTIONS. STANDARD PROCEDURE FOR SCALE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE USED. A POOL OF ITEMS THAT TAP DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF QOL WILL BE DEVELOPED. A DRAFT INSTRUMENT WILL BE CONSTRUCTED WITH ITEMS IN EACH DIMENSION, AND THE INSTRUMENT WILL BE PILOTED ON RELEVANT SAMPLES. A FINAL INSTRUMENT WILL BE DEVELOPED TO BE TESTED IN PHASE II. PHASE II WILL CONSIST OF CONDUCTING VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDIES OF THE INSTRUMENT ON A RELEVANT POPULATION.