Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Which questionnaires should be used in female urology practice?

  • Published:
Current Urology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The evaluation and treatment of female pelvic floor disorders is an evolving sub-specialty in urology. Recent attention has been directed toward more rigorous evaluation of treatment efficacy and durability of female urologic procedures. Throughout the past few decades, questionnaires have emerged as important subjective instruments for evaluation. Today, practitioners must choose from a burgeoning amount of questionnaires. This staggering number of questionnaires has raised two important issues: which questionnaire should be used in a female urology practice and should more refined criteria be developed for evaluating questionnaires to make the decision easier?

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References and Recommended Reading

  1. Bonomi AE, Patrick DL, Bushnell DM, et al.: Quality of life measurement: will we ever be satisfied? J Clin Epidemiol 2000, 53:19–23. This is an excellent paper that tackles the problem of questionnaire overload and tries to explain the multitude of complex issues surrounding QoL instrument development and validation.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Korman HJ, Sirls LT, Kirkemo AK: Success rate of modified Pereyra bladder neck suspension determined by outcomes analysis. J Urol 1994, 152:1453–1457.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Sirls LT, Keoleian CM, Korman HJ, et al.: The effect of study methodology on reported success rates of the modified pereyra bladder neck suspension. J Urol 1995, 154:1732–1735.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Govier FE, Gibbons RP, Correa RJ, et al.: Pubovaginal slings using fascia lata for the treatment of intrinsic sphincter deficiency. J Urol 1997, 157:117–121.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Gill TM, Feinstein AR: A critical appraisal of the quality-of-life measurements. JAMA 1994, 272:619–626. An often-quoted well-researched article. This study gives the reader a perspective of the breadth of questionnaires that are in existence. The authors also make several recommendations on how to improve QoL measurements in future studies.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Lemack G, Zimmern P: Predictability of urodynamic findings based on the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 questionnaire. Urology 1999, 54:461–466.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Jackson S, Donovan J, Brookes S, et al.: The Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms questionnaire: development and psychometric testing. Br J Urol 1996, 77:805–812.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kelleher CJ, Cardozo LD, Toozs-Hobson PM: Quality of life and urinary incontinence. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol 1995, 7:404–408.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bergner M, Bobbitt R, Carter W, et al.: The sickness impact profile: development and final revision of a health status measure. Med Care 1981, 19:787–805.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Hunt SM, McEwen J, McKenna SP: Measuring health stats: a new tool for clinicians and epidemiologists. J R Coll Gen Pract 1985, 35:185–188.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Derogatis LR: The psychosocial adjustment to illness scale (PAIS). J Psychosom Res 1986, 30:77–91.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Stewart AL, Greenfield S, Hays RD, et al.: Functional status and well-being of patients with chronic conditions: results from the Medical Outcomes Study. JAMA 1989, 262:907–913.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ferrans C, Powers M: Psychometric assessment of quality of life index. Res Nurs Health 1992, 15:29–38.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Bonomi AE, Patrick DL, Bushnell DM, et al.: Validation of the United States’ version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) instrument. J Clin Epidemiol 2000, 53:1–12.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Barry MJ, Fowler FJ Jr, O’Leary MP, et al.: The American Urological Association symptom index for benign prostatic hyperplasia: the Measurement Committee of the American Urological Association. J Urol 1992, 148:1549–1557.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Scarpero HM, Fiske J, Nitti VW: The American Urological Association Symptom Index for lower urinary tract symptoms in women: correlation with degree of bother and impact on quality of life [Abstract]. J Urol 2002, 167:76.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Shumaker SA, Wyman JF, Uebersax JS, et al.: Health-related quality of life measures for women with urinary incontinence: the urogenital distress inventory and the incontinence impact questionnaire. Quality Life Res 1994, 3:291–306.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Uebersax JS, Wyman JF, Shumaker SA, et al.: Short forms to assess life quality and symptom distress for urinary incontinence in women: the incontinence impact questionnaire and the urogenital distress inventory. Neurourol Urodyn 1995, 14:131–139.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Black N, Griffiths J, Pope C: Development of a symptom severity index and a symptom impact index for stress incontinence in women. Neurourol Urodyn 1996, 15:630–640.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Jackson S, Donovan J, Brookes S, et al.: The Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Questionnaires: development and psychometric testing. Br J Urol 1996, 7:805–812.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Lee PS, Reid DW, Saltmarche A, et al.: Measuring the psychosocial impact of urinary incontinence: the York Perceptions Scale (YIPS). J Am Geriatr Soc 1995, 43:1275–1278.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Wagner TH, Patrick DL, Bavendam TG, et al.: Quality of life of persons with urinary incontinence: development of a new measure. Urology 1996, 47:67–72.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Zorzos I, Paterson P: Quality of life after a Marshall-Marchetti-Krantz procedure for stress urinary incontinence. J Urol 1996, 155:259–262.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Seim A, Hermstad R, Hunskaar S: Management in general practice significantly reduced psychosocial consequences of female urinary incontinence. Qual Life Res 1997, 6:257–264.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Raz S, Eriksen DR: SEAPI QMM incontinence classification system. Neurol Urodyn 1992, 11:187–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Kelleher CJ, Cardozo LD, Khullar, et al.: A new questionnaire to assess the quality of life of urinary incontinent women. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1997, 104:1374–1379.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Field SM, Hilton P: The prevalence of sexual problems in women attending for urodynamic investigation. Int Urogynecol J 1993, 4:212–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Hasse P, Skibsted L: Influence of operations for stress incontinence and/or genital descensus on sexual life. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1988, 67:659–661.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Walters MD, Taylor S, Schoenfeld LS: Psychosexual study of women with detrusor instability. Obstet Gynecol 1990, 75:22–26.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Weber AM, Walter MD: Sexual function and vaginal anatomy in women before and after surgery for pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000, 182:1610–1615.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Lemack GE, Zimmern PE: Sexual function after vaginal surgery for stress incontinence: results of a mailed questionnaire. Urology 2000, 56:223–227.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. LoPiccolo J, Steger JC: The Sexual Interaction Inventory: a new instrument for assessment of sexual dysfunction. Arch Sex Behav 1974, 3:585–595.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Derogatis LR, Melisaratos N: The DSFI: a multidimensional measure of sexual functioning. J Sex Marital Ther 1979, 5:244–281.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Berman JR, Berman LA, Werbin TJ, et al.: Clinical evaluation of female sexual function: effects of age and estrogen status on subjective and physiologic sexual responses. Int J Impotence Res 1999, 11(suppl:1):S31-S38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Green MS, Naumann RW, Elliot M, et al.: Sexual dysfunction following vulvectomy. Gynecol Oncol 2000, 77:73–77.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Snell WE, Papini D: The Sexuality Scale (SS): an instrument to measure sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation. J Sex Res 1989, 26:256–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Rosen R, Brown C, Heiman J, et al.: The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI): a multidimensional self-report instrument for the assessment of female sexual function. J Sex Marital Ther 2000, 26:191–208.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Thirlaway K, Fallowfield L, Cuzick J: The Sexual Activity Questionnaire: a measure of women’s sexual functioning. Qual Life Res 1996, 5:81–90.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Quirk FH, Heiman JH, Rosen RC, et al.: Development of a sexual function questionnaire for clinical trials of female sexual dysfunction. J Womens Health Gend Based Med 2002, 11:277–289.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Rogers RG, Kammerer-Doak D, Villarreal A, et al.: A new instrument to measure sexual function in women with urinary incontinence or pelvic prolapse. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001, 184:552–558.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Barber MD, Kuchibhatla MN, Pieper CF, et al.: Psychometric evaluation of 2 comprehensive condition-specific quality of life instruments for women with pelvic floor disorders. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001, 185:1388–1395.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Gonzalez-Argente FX, Jain A, Nogueras JJ, et al.: Prevalence and severity of urinary incontinence and pelvic genital prolapse in females with anal incontinence or rectal prolapse. Dis Colon Rectum 2001, 44:920–926.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Jorge JM, Wexner SD: Etiology and management of fecal incontinence. Dis Colon Rectum 1993, 36:77–97.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Agachan F, Chen T, Pfeifer J: A constipation scoring system to simplify evaluation and management of constipated patients. Dis Colon Rectum 1996, 39:681–685.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Rockwood TH, Church JM, Fleshman JW, et al.: Patient and surgeon ranking of the severity of symptoms associated with fecal incontinence: the Fecal Incontinence Severity Index. Dis Colon Rectum 1999, 42:1525–1531.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Rockwood TH, Church JM, Fleshman JW, et al.: Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale: quality-of-life instrument for patients with fecal incontinence. Dis Colon Rectum 2000, 43:9–16.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Eypasch E, Williams JI, Wood-Dauphinee S, et al.: Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index: development, validation, and application of a new instrument. Br J Surg 1995, 82:216–222.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Bug GJ, Kiff ES, Hosker G: A new condition-specific healthrelated quality of life questionnaire for the assessment of women with anal incontinence. BJOG 2001, 108:1057–1067.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Penson DF, Litwin MS: Quality of life assessment in urology. Contemp Urol 1997, 9:53–66.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Ko DS, Fenster HN, Chambers K, et al.: The correlation of multichannel urodynamic pressure-flow studies and AUA symptom index in the evaluation of benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol 1995, 154:396–398.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Barry MJ, Cocket AT, Holtgrewe HL, et al.: Relationship of symptoms of prostatism to commonly used physiological and anatomical measures of the severity of benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol 1993, 351–358.

  52. Wein AJ: What the urologist will need to know about urinary incontinence in the year 2000 and beyond. AUA News 1996, 1:12.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Patrick DL, Martin AM, Bushnell AM, et al.: Cultural adaptation of a quality-of-life measure for urinary incontinence. Eur Urol 1999, 36:427–435.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  54. Testa MA, Simonson DC: Assessment of quality of life outcomes. N Engl J Med 1996, 334:835–840.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Fantl JA, Newman D, Colling J, et al. Urinary Incontinence in Adults: Acute and Chronic Management: Clinical Practice Guideline.Rockville, MD: US Dept of Health and Human Service; 1996:1–65.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Leach GE, Dmochowski RR, Appell RA, et al.: Female stress urinary incontinence clinical guidelines panel: summary report on the surgical management of female stress urinary incontinence. J Urol 1997, 158:875–879. This is a well-researched article on the expected outcomes of stress urinary incontinence surgery. The cost of nonstandardization is high, which is evident by the panel’s decision to eliminate 40% of the selected articles because of a lack of standardized reporting in outcomes data.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Blaivas JG, Appell RA, Fantl JA, et al.: Standards of efficacy for evaluation of treatment outcomes in urinary incontinence: recommendations of the Urodynamics Society. Neurourol Urodynam 1997, 16:145–147.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Mattiasoon A, Djurhuus JC, Fonda D, et al.: Standardization of outcome studies in patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction: a report on general principles from the Standardization Committee of the International Continence Society. Neurourol Urodyn 1998, 17:249–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kelly, C.E. Which questionnaires should be used in female urology practice?. Curr Urol Rep 4, 375–380 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-003-0011-5

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-003-0011-5

Keywords

Navigation