Validation d’un questionnaire interculturel de qualité de vie spécifique des troubles urinaires dans la sclérose en plaques

The Qualiveen questionnaire is a urinary disorder (UD)-specific Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) instrument. Developed in French, its translation into English was the first step of a process leading to an HRQL question- naire that can be used in a different culture. However, the cultural adaptation of an HRQL questionnaire is only achieved when the psychometric properties of the translated questionnaire are documented. Aim: To develop an equivalent English version of the Qualiveen questionnaire, and to assess its following mea- surement properties : construct validity, reliability and responsiveness. Methods: A before-after study in which MS completed questionnaires (Qualiveen, MSQOL-54, urinary function assessment) twice at an interval of two to ten weeks. The study included 55 Canadian out-patients who, at enrollment, were classified as ''stable'' group if they had no troubling UD or ''expected to improve'' if they had troubling UD that mandated intensified treatment. Results: Consistent with a priori predictions (weighted kappa = 0.71), changes in Qualiveen score correlated with changes in other outcomes. Qualiveen proved test-retest reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94). All Qua- liveen domains detected changes in patients ''expected to improve'' (p < 0.001) and differentiated these patients from ''stable'' patients (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Valid, reliable, and responsive, both English and French versions are useful for MS studies addressing UD.