Construction and validation of a short-form Quality-Of-Life Scale for Chinese Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

BACKGROUND: In 2003, a 74-item quality-of-life (QOL) scale for Chinese benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients (BPH-QLS) was developed. Although the scale displayed good reliability and validity, the time required to complete it may limit its use. The purpose of this study was to construct and validate a short-form quality-of-life (QOL) scale for Chinese patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: According to the previously published 74-item quality of life scale for BPH (BPH-QLS), we developed a pool of items, then condensed these items and validated the shortened scale, based on collected data from 163 patients with BPH. We used eight methods to reduce the items. RESULTS: A 33-item QOL scale for BPH (short-form of BPH-QLS) was constructed. The time take by the new scale was much shorter than the original one. There was no significant difference between the 33-item scale and 74-item scale, in terms of reliability. Moreover, the 33-item BPH-QLS showed a high correlation with the 74-item BPH-QLS (r = 0.971). Scores generated by the two scales were not only parallel and coincident but also at the same level. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the reliability and validity of the short form of BPH-QLS is close to those of the 74-item BPH-QLS. It should be a good choice in clinical practice for its greater compliance and clinical feasibility.