French validation of the NOSE and RhinoQOL questionnaires in the management of nasal obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Until now, there has been no validated and specific questionnaire in French allowing the assessment of nasal obstruction and its consequences on quality of life. The aim of this study was to validate the French translation and sociocultural adaptation of the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) and Rhinosinusitis Quality of Life Survey (RhinoQOL) self-questionnaires. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective instrument validation study. SETTING: French tertiary referral center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The questionnaires were translated into French and then translated back into English. The final version was administered twice to an asymptomatic control population (n = 50) and once to a population with symptomatic septal deviation (n = 50). The psychometric properties (reliability, reproducibility, validity, responsiveness) were assessed by test-retest procedure, internal consistency, correlation intra- and interscores, and response sensitivity between both populations. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in both responses obtained from the control population after the test-retest procedure. Internal consistency was 0.86 for the NOSE and 0.57, 0.67, and 0.83 for the scores of the RhinoQOL (frequency, bothersomeness, and impact, respectively). There was always a strong correlation between all NOSE variables and RhinoQOL scores (r > 0.40; P < 10(-3)). Effect size showed a high sensitivity to change. CONCLUSION: The French versions of both questionnaires appear to be as reliable, valid, and sensitive to change as the English versions. Their association was strong, allowing assessment of nasal obstruction in all its dimensions.