Psychometric properties of a self-assessment questionnaire concerning symptoms and impairment in urinary tract infections: the UTI-SIQ-8

Abstract

ObjectivesTo validate the urinary tract infection-Symptom and Impairment Questionnaire (UTI-SIQ-8), a questionnaire that consists of four items to assess the symptom severity for dysuria, urgency, frequenc, and low abdominal pain and four items to assess the resulting impairment of activity by UTIs.DesignProspective observation study.SettingGerman primary care practices.ParticipantsAn unselected population of women with UTI. Women could participate online via a web application for smartphones, smartwatches and tablets or use a paper-and-pencil version.Main outcomesPsychometric properties of the UTI-SIQ-8 regarding reliability, validity and sensitivity to change by using factor analysis and multilevel and network analysis.ResultsData from 120 women with a total of 769 symptom reports across 7 days of measurement were analysed. The majority of the participating patients (87/120) used the web application via smartphones or other devices. The reliability of the UTI-SIQ-8 was high, with Cronbach’s alpha of .86 at intake; convergent and discriminant validity was satisfactory. Intraclass correlation demonstrated high sensitivity to change, with 68% of the total variance being due to time differences. These daily changes in an individual’s symptoms moved parallel with daily changes in the EQ-5D-5L (b=1.68, SE=0.12, p<0.001) and the visual analogue scale (b=0.03, SE=0.003, p<0.001), also highlighting convergent validity with respect to daily changes in symptom severity.ConclusionsThe present findings support the UTI-SIQ-8 questionnaire as an economic, reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of symptom severity and symptom change in women with uncomplicated UTI. The web application helped patients to report symptoms on a daily basis. These findings may encourage primary care physicians to use the UTI-SIQ-8 in their daily practice and researchers to apply it to studies involving patients with uncomplicated UTI.

Difference in symptom manifestation between postmenopausal and premenopausal women in acute uncomplicated cystitis: A multi-institutional pilot study

“…There have been some questionnaires for patients with AUC, such as the Urinary Tract Infection Symptom Assessment, [8] Acute Cystitis Symptom Score, [9] and Urinary Tract Infection Symptom and Impairment Questionnaire. [10] Although these questionnaires have been shown to exert excellent diagnostic performance in primary care, they were designed to elicit essential information for diagnosis, but not for comprehensive LUTS assessment. [8][9][10] Furthermore, to avoid ambiguous terms and clarify symptom differences, the CLSS questionnaire was used in the study as a patient-reported outcome measure.…”

“…[10] Although these questionnaires have been shown to exert excellent diagnostic performance in primary care, they were designed to elicit essential information for diagnosis, but not for comprehensive LUTS assessment. [8][9][10] Furthermore, to avoid ambiguous terms and clarify symptom differences, the CLSS questionnaire was used in the study as a patient-reported outcome measure. For instance, dysuria refers to not only pain or discomfort but also difficulty voiding and is not specific to the symptom site (bladder and urethra).…”

“…[6] Incontinence is a common and major symptom that deeply impacts QoL in older women with AUC but is not included in all of them. [3,[8][9][10] Thus, these features seem unsuitable for the accurate description of LUTS in women with AUC.…”

Herbal treatment with uva ursi extract versus fosfomycin in women with uncomplicated urinary tract infection in primary care: a randomized controlled trial

“…Participants completed a validated eight-item symptom questionnaire (UTI-SIQ-8) to assess symptom severity and UTIrelated activity impairment due to each symptom [16]. Each item was scored from 0 (none) to 4 (very strong).Duration of J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f symptoms, previous UTI episodes, comorbidity, medication, and sociodemographic data were collected at baseline.…”

Content Validity and Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Holm and Cordoba Urinary Tract Infection Score for Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections in Women: Protocol for a Validation Study

“…For this purpose, PROMs are valuable tools. For uncomplicated UTIs, several disease-specific instruments have been developed and validated, assessing symptom burden [ 6 , 7 ], the impairment of daily activities [ 6 , 8 ], and HRQoL [ 6 ]. The selection of a PROM is guided by content-related considerations, including the construct to be measured and the target population, but it is also essential to consider the quality of the measurement properties of available instruments.…”