Development and assessment of the Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases-Gout (QLICD-GO) (V2.0).

OBJECTIVE: To develop and assess the Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases-Gout QLICD-GO (V2.0). METHODS: The instrument was developed using a programmatic decision-making method to combine the general module of the Quality of Life Instruments for Chronic Diseases and a new specific module. The instrument was assessed by measuring the quality of life of 116 patients with gout. RESULTS: The QLICD-GO (V2.0) included 28 items from the general module of chronic diseases and 12 items in three facets from the specific module. In addition to the field of physiological function, the internal consistency reliability of other fields and dimensions of the instrument was > 0.7, and the split-half reliability was > 0.5. Three common factors were extracted from the specific module, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 57.54%. The standardized response means of the specific module and the whole instrument were 0.94 and 1.20, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The QLICD-GO (V2.0) has good reliability, validity, and responsiveness. The instrument comprehensively and objectively reflects the quality of life of patients with gout, and it can be used to assess treatment regimens developed by medical staff. Key Points • The QLICD-GO (V2.0) has been developed for patients with gout based upon the foundation of the QLICD-GM. • The QLICD-GO reflects the clinical signs and symptoms, drug-related side effects, and psychological changes specific to patients with gout. • Based on the assessment results, the QLICD-GO (V2.0) has good reliability, validity, and responsiveness. • QLICD-GO (V2.0) can objectively and comprehensively reflect the QOL of patients with gout and can be used by clinical staff to assess treatment regimens.