Italian validation of the Belastungsfragebogen Parkinson kurzversion (BELA-P-k): a disease-specific questionnaire for evaluation of the subjective perception of quality of life in parkinson’s disease

Abstract

BackgroundQuality of life (QoL) is the sense of well-being perceived by people. The improvement of parkinsonian patient’s QoL is a crucial goal for clinicians involved in rehabilitative care. In order to provide an appropriate endpoint for the assessment of the effectiveness of rehabilitation treatments on QoL of patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), in this study we have first translated and then validated the Belastungsfragebogen Parkinson kurzversion (BELA-P-k). This tool allows evaluating separately two crucial aspects: i) the loss of personal autonomy in activities of daily life and ii) the psychological and psychosocial impact of the disease.MethodsThe BELA-P-k was translated from Dutch into Italian. Subsequently 202 PD patients filled out the questionnaire. Patients were also evaluated by using the Parkinson Disease Questionnaire −39 (PDQ39), the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB).ResultsThe internal consistency for total of two different scores Bothered by (Bb) and Need for Help (NfH) was excellent (p = 0.91) for both categories. The correlation between Bb and NfH categories was significant and strong, very-strong, ranging from 0.78 to 0.88 (all p < 0.0001). Finally, the value of Spearman r for the relationship between Bb and NfH items and PDQ 39 values were significant (p ≤ 0.003).ConclusionsIn conclusion, we validated the BELA-P-k and demonstrated that it is an appropriate and potentially useful tool for assessing QoL in the management of PD.Trials registrationThis trial was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03073044.

Efficacy of intensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation in Parkinson’s disease: a randomised controlled study

“…Moreover, the 6 minute walk test (6MWT), BBS and TUG scores highlight the benefits achieved on gait and balance disturbances, which have been recognised as the most impactful on the QoL of patients with PD. 50 Overall, these data confirm the effectiveness of MIRT on motor symptoms, as well as its effectiveness on ADLs and speech, thus reflecting the effects of the occupational therapy and of the speech therapy performed during the hospitalisation. Certainly, future studies with more appropriate outcome measures to assess specific aspects of the disease, such as the speech and ADLs, should be designed.…”

The clinical effectiveness of a self-management intervention for patients with persistent depressive disorder and their partners/caregivers: results from a multicenter, pragmatic randomized controlled trial

“…Summing the items results in a total score, where higher scores indicate that the patient or partner/caregiver has higher levels of psychosocial burden and a greater need for help, respectively. For patients, scores from 20 to 38 are “moderate”, 39 to 57 are “high”, and 58 to 76 are “very high.” For partners/caregivers, scores from 16 to 30 are “moderate”, 31 to 45 are “high”, and 46 to 60 are “very high” [ 55 , 57 ].…”

The clinical effectiveness of a self-management intervention for patients with Persistent Depressive Disorder and their partners/caregivers: results from a multicenter, pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

“…For patients, scores from 20-38 are "moderate", 39-57 are "high", and 58-76 "very high." For partners/caregivers, scores from 16-30 are "moderate", 31-45 are "high", and 46-60 are "very high" [71,73].…”