M30 Quality of life in inducible laryngeal obstruction; a questionnaire pilot

Abstract

Introduction and objectives Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction (ILO) is paradoxical laryngeal closure during respiration resulting in airway obstruction at glottic and/or supraglottic level causing breathing difficulties and distress. There are no disease-specific psychological outcome measures for assessing experienced distress and impact upon quality of life (QoL) for those with ILO. This research provides preliminary findings assessing the reliability and validity of an ILO Quality of Life questionnaire (ILOQoL). Methods This research included item refinement and psychometric validation. Item refinement involved cognitive debriefing, which was undertaken with ten participants. Psychometric validation was undertaken with 31 participants with nasendoscopy diagnosed with ILO, who had undergone Speech and Language Therapy and were six months post discharge. Participants were posted a questionnaire pack including ILOQoL, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), the activities sub-section of the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire AQLQ) and the Vocal Cord Dysfunction Questionnaire (VCDQ). No appropriate measure of trauma associated with a breathing condition could be found so convergent validity for part 2 was not measured. Two weeks later the same questionnaire pack was repeated, along with a Global Assessment Rating Scale. Results The ILOQoL demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. The questionnaire had strong internal consistency (α ≥0.07 for each sub-scale total and overall ILOQoL total), weak convergent validity (p≤0.05) and adequate test retest reliability (p≤0.05 for two subscales and overall ILOQoL total). Additionally, the questionnaire had strong content validity and no floor or ceiling effects. Mean Anxiety score on the DASS-21 was ‘extremely severe’ – much higher than reported scores in other chronic health conditions.1 Further details of results are shown below. Conclusions Preliminary findings indicate that the ILOQoL has potential as an outcome measure during therapeutic interventions by measuring QoL. Larger scale study is warranted. Reference Singh RPB, Singh H, Singh CJ, Kaur KT. Screening of psychological distress in cancer patients during chemotherapy: a cross-sectional study. Indian Journal of Palliative Care2015;21(3):305–310.