Abstract
BackgroundSymptoms of heartburn has an impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL). When a questionnaire is translated into a new language, a linguistic validation is necessary but not sufficient unless the psychometric characteristics have been verified. The aim is to document the psychometric characteristics of the German translation of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia (QOLRAD) questionnaire.Methods142 patients with symptoms of heartburn (Age: M = 47.5, ± 14.6; Males = 44.4%) completed the German translation of GSRS, the QOLRAD, the Short-Form-36 (SF-36) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale.ResultsThe internal consistency reliability of GSRS ranged from 0.53–0.91 and of QOLRAD from 0.90–0.94, respectively. The test-retest reliability of GSRS ranged from 0.49–0.73 and of QOLRAD from 0.70–0.84. The relevant domains of the GSRS and QOLRAD domain scores significantly correlated. GSRS domains of Abdominal Pain and Constipation correlated (negatively) with most of the domains of the SF-36. The relevant QOLRAD domains significantly correlated with all SF-36 domains.ConclusionsThe psychometric characteristics of the German translation of GSRS and QOLRAD were found to be good, with satisfactory reliability and validity. The reliability of the GSRS Abdominal Pain domain was moderate.
Highlights
Symptoms of heartburn has an impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL)
Heartburn is the primary symptom of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD)
In order to be a viable measure of treatment outcome in clinical trials, Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) instruments must be extensively documented to both meet scientific standards [6] and to satisfy regulatory criteria, from the perspective of claims for labeling and promotion [7]
Summary
Symptoms of heartburn has an impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL). When a questionnaire is translated into a new language, a linguistic validation is necessary but not sufficient unless the psychometric characteristics have been verified. The aim is to document the psychometric characteristics of the German translation of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia (QOLRAD) questionnaire. The assessment of how upper gastrointestinal symptoms impact patients' health-related quality of life provides important information about the patient's health status and how patients perceive the treatment regime [5]. This information is of interest to clinicians, enabling them to better understand how to tailor treatment to the individual patient's needs.
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