Validation of the short forms of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20), Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7), and Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12) in Finnish

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough several validated generic health-related quality of life instruments exist, disease-specific instruments are important as they are often more sensitive to changes in symptom severity. It is essential to validate the instruments in a new population and language before their use. The objective of the study was to translate into Finnish the short forms of three condition-specific questionnaires (PFDI-20, PFIQ-7 and PISQ-12) and to evaluate their psychometric properties in Finnish women with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse.MethodsA multistep translation method was used followed by an evaluation of validity and reliability in prolapse patients. Convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency and reliability via test-retest were calculated.ResultsSixty-three patients waiting for prolapse surgery filled the three questionnaires within two weeks. Response rate for each item was high in PFDI-20 and PISQ-12 (99.8 and 98.9% respectively). For PFIQ-7 response rate was only 60%. In PFIQ-7, six respondents (9.5%) reached the minimum value of zero showing floor effect. None of the instruments had ceiling effect. Based on the item-total correlations both PFIQ-7 and PFDI-20 had acceptable convergent validity, while the convergent validity of PISQ-12 was lower, r = 0.138–0.711. However, in this instrument only three questions (questions 6, 10 and 11) had r < 0.3 while others had r ≥ 0.380. In the test-retest analysis all the three instruments showed good reliability (ICC 0.75–0.92). Similarly, the internal consistency of the instruments, measured by Cronbach’s α, was good (range 0.69–0.96) indicating high homogeneity.ConclusionsFinnish validated translation of the PFDI-20 and PISQ-12 have acceptable psychometric properties and can be used for both research purposes and clinical evaluation of pelvic organ prolapse symptoms. The Finnish version of PFIQ-7 displayed low response rate and some evidence of a floor effect, and thus its use is not recommended in its current form.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12955-017-0648-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Minimal important difference and patient acceptable symptom state for PFDI-20 and POPDI-6 in POP surgery

“…Missing items are excluded, and the mean from the answered items is used to calculate the total score. The Finnish version of PFDI-20 has been validated [ 15 ].…”

Pelvic organ prolapse surgery and overactive bladder symptoms—a population-based cohort (FINPOP)

“…This included information on their medical, surgical, and obstetric history. Pelvic floor dysfunction was assessed with a validated, condition-specific quality-of-life instrument, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory −20 (PFDI-20) [13,14]. The follow-up questionnaires were mailed to the participants, collected on paper or electronic forms based on participant's preference, and entered in the electronic study registry.…”

Quality of life and sexual function after TVT surgery versus Bulkamid injection for primary stress urinary incontinence: 1 year results from a randomized clinical trial

“…The impact of SUI on a patient's sexual life during the last 6 months was measured with the PISQ-12 questionnaire [27]. Three subscales can be identified: behavior-emotional, physical and partner related.…”