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The VEINES-QOL/Sym questionnaire is a reliable and valid disease-specific quality of life measure for deep vein thrombosis in elderly patients

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Abstract

Purpose

To prospectively evaluate the psychometric properties of the Venous Insufficiency Epidemiological and Economic Study (VEINES-QOL/Sym) questionnaire, an instrument to measure disease-specific quality of life and symptoms in elderly patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and to validate a German version of the questionnaire.

Methods

In a prospective multicenter cohort study of patients aged ≥65 years with acute venous thromboembolism, we used standard psychometric tests and criteria to evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the VEINES-QOL/Sym in patients with acute symptomatic DVT. We also performed an exploratory factor analysis.

Results

Overall, 352 French- and German-speaking patients were enrolled (response rate of 87 %). Both language versions of the VEINES-QOL/Sym showed good acceptability (missing data, floor and ceiling effects), reliability (internal consistency, item-total and inter-item correlations), validity (convergent, discriminant, known-groups differences), and responsiveness to clinical change over time in elderly patients with DVT. The exploratory factor analysis of the VEINES-QOL/Sym suggested three underlying dimensions: limitations in daily activities, DVT-related symptoms, and psychological impact.

Conclusions

The VEINES-QOL/Sym questionnaire is a practical, reliable, valid, and responsive instrument to measure quality of life and symptoms in elderly patients with DVT and can be used with confidence in prospective studies to measure outcomes in such patients.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Swiss National Science Foundation Grant 33CSCO-122659/139470. We thank all the investigators and the study personnel who made the SWITCO65+ study possible (in particular, Marc Righini, Kurt Jaeger, Hans-Jürg Beer, Beat Frauchiger, Joseph Osterwalder, Nils Kucher, Bernhard Lämmle, Jacques Cornuz, Anne Angelillo-Scherrer, Nicolas Rodondi, Sven Trelle, Christian M. Matter, Marc Husmann, Martin Banyai, Markus Aschwanden, Michael Egloff, Lucia Mazzolai, Olivier Hugli, and Henri Bounameaux).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of General Internal Medicine, Bern University Hospital, Inselspital, 3010, Bern, Switzerland

    M. Méan & D. Aujesky

  2. CTU Bern, Department of Clinical Research, and Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    A. Limacher

  3. Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

    S. R. Kahn

Authors
  1. M. Méan
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  2. A. Limacher
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  3. S. R. Kahn
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  4. D. Aujesky
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Correspondence to M. Méan.

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Méan, M., Limacher, A., Kahn, S.R. et al. The VEINES-QOL/Sym questionnaire is a reliable and valid disease-specific quality of life measure for deep vein thrombosis in elderly patients. Qual Life Res 23, 2463–2471 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-014-0704-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-014-0704-x

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