Functional status measures for the COPD patient: A practical categorization.

The objective of this study is to review available functional status measures (FSMs) validated for use in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) population and categorizing the measures by their commonalities to formulate a framework that supports clinicians in the selection and application of FSMs. A literature review identifying valid and reliable measures of functional status for people with COPD was undertaken. Measures were thematically analyzed and categorized to develop a framework for clinical application. A variety of measures of activity levels exist, with 35 included in this review. Thematic categorization identified five categories of measures: daily activity, impact, surrogate, performance-based, and disability-based measures. The vast variety of FSMs available for clinicians to apply with people who have COPD may be overwhelming, and selection must be thoughtfully based on the nature of the population being studied/evaluated, and aims of evaluation being conducted, not simply as a standard measure used at the institution. Psychometric testing is a critical feature to a strong instrument and issues of reliability, validity, and responsiveness need to be understood prior to measurement use. Contextual nature of measures such as language used and activities measured is also important. A categorical framework to support clinicians in the selection and application of FSMs has been presented in this article.

Validação do Modified Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire e da escala do Medical Research Council para o uso em pacientes com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica no Brasil / Validation of the Modified Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire and the Medical Research Council scale for use in Brazilian patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

OBJETIVO: Verificar a validade e a reprodutibilidade do uso de dois instrumentos subjetivos para avaliar a limitação nas atividades da vida diária (AVD) em pacientes com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica (DPOC) no Brasil: o Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire - Modified version (PFSDQ-M) e a escala do Medical Research Council (MRC). MÉTODOS: Trinta pacientes com DPOC (17 homens; idade, 67 ± 10 anos; volume expiratório forçado no primeiro segundo, 42 por cento ± 13 por cento do predito) responderam por duas vezes às versões em português dos dois instrumentos com intervalo de uma semana. O PFSDQ-M contém três componentes: influência da dispnéia nas AVD, influência da fadiga nas AVD, e mudança nas AVD em comparação ao período anterior à doença. A escala do MRC é simples, com apenas cinco itens, dentre os quais o paciente escolhe qual o seu nível de limitação nas AVD devido à dispnéia. O tradicional questionário Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), já validado para o uso no Brasil, foi utilizado como critério de validação. RESULTADOS: A confiabilidade em reteste do PFSDQ-M utilizando o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse foi de 0,93, 0,92 e 0,90 para os componentes dispnéia, fadiga e mudança, respectivamente, enquanto que esta foi de 0,83 para a escala do MRC. A análise dos gráficos de Bland e Altman mostrou boa concordância entre a aplicação e a reaplicação do PFSDQ-M. Os componentes do PFSDQ-M e a escala do MRC se correlacionaram significativamente com os domínios e o escore total do SGRQ (0,49 < r < 0,80; p < 0,01 para todos). CONCLUSÕES: As versões em língua portuguesa do PFSDQ-M e da escala do MRC demonstraram ser reprodutíveis e válidas para o uso em pacientes com DPOC no Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity and reproducibility of two subjective instruments to assess limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Brazil: the Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire - Modified version (PFSDQ-M) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale. METHODS: Thirty patients with COPD (age, 67 ± 10 years; males, 17; forced expiratory volume in one second, 42 percent ± 13 percent of predicted) completed the Portuguese-language versions of the two instruments on two occasions, one week apart. The PFSDQ-M has three components: influence of dyspnea on ADLs, influence of fatigue on ADLs change in ADLs experienced by the patient. The MRC scale is simple, with only five items, in which patients report the degree to which dyspnea limits their performance of ADLs. The traditional Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), previously validated for use in Brazil, was used as a validation criterion. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) of the PFSDQ-M was 0.93, 0.92 and 0.90 for dyspnea, fatigue and change components, respectively, compared with 0.83 for the MRC scale. Bland-Altman plots showed good test-retest agreement for the PFSDQ-M. The components of the PFSDQ-M and the MRC scale correlated significantly with all of the domains and the total score of the SGRQ (0.49 < r < 0.80; p < 0.01 for all). CONCLUSIONS: The Portuguese-language versions of the PFSDQ-M and the MRC scale proved reproducible and valid for use in patients with COPD in Brazil.

Validation of the Modified Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire and the Medical Research Council scale for use in Brazilian patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity and reproducibility of two subjective instruments to assess limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Brazil: the Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire - Modified version (PFSDQ-M) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale. METHODS: Thirty patients with COPD (age, 67 +/- 10 years; males, 17; forced expiratory volume in one second, 42% +/- 13% of predicted) completed the Portuguese-language versions of the two instruments on two occasions, one week apart. The PFSDQ-M has three components: influence of dyspnea on ADLs, influence of fatigue on ADLs change in ADLs experienced by the patient. The MRC scale is simple, with only five items, in which patients report the degree to which dyspnea limits their performance of ADLs. The traditional Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), previously validated for use in Brazil, was used as a validation criterion. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) of the PFSDQ-M was 0.93, 0.92 and 0.90 for dyspnea, fatigue and change components, respectively, compared with 0.83 for the MRC scale. Bland-Altman plots showed good test-retest agreement for the PFSDQ-M. The components of the PFSDQ-M and the MRC scale correlated significantly with all of the domains and the total score of the SGRQ (0.49 < r < 0.80; p < 0.01 for all). CONCLUSIONS: The Portuguese-language versions of the PFSDQ-M and the MRC scale proved reproducible and valid for use in patients with COPD in Brazil.