Reliability and validity of the International Prostate Symptom Score in a Malaysian population

Abstract

Objective To validate the English version of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) in patients with and without urinary symptoms in a Malaysian population. Patients and methods Validity and reliability were assessed in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and in patients with no LUTS. Reliability was evaluated using the test-retest method and internal consistency using Cronbach's a. Sensitivity to change was expressed as the effect size in the score before and after intervention in additional patients with LUTS who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Results Internal consistency was excellent; there was a high degree of internal consistency for each of the seven domains and for the total score (Cronbach's a o0.60 and o 0.79, respectively) in the populations studied. The test-retest correlation coef®cient for the seven domain scores was highly signi®cant. The intraclass correlation coef®cient was high (o0.59). There was a high level of sensitivity and speci®city for the effects of treatment, with a very signi®cant change between the seven scores domains in the treated group but not in the control group. Conclusions The IPSS is suitable, reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical change in the Malaysian population.

International Prostate Symptom ScoreShould Be Considered a Complement Rather Than a Substitute to Generic Preference‐Based Measures for MeasuringLower Urinary Tract SymptomsWithin Economic Evaluation

“…The fact that all three instruments discriminated between patients based on their age, marital status, history of illness, smoking status and self‐assessed general health suggests that all three are sensitive to patient characteristics and to indicators of health. This result has been shown elsewhere . This result suggests the suitability of all three instruments within outcome measurement but as complements rather than substitutes of each other.…”

Validation of the International Prostate Symptom Score in Chinese males and females with lower urinary tract symptoms

“…The Cronbach’s alpha was slightly below standard in females, which is still acceptable. The 2-week test-retest reliability in patients with stable health condition was acceptable and comparable to other versions of the IPSS [1,3,26]. The intra-class correlation coefficients of IPSS HKv2 total symptom and quality of life scores were above 0.7 with the exception of the quality of life question in female subjects (ICC = 0.578) implying that this single-item measure is comparatively unreliable in women [12].…”

The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) Is an Inadequate Tool to Screen for Urethral Stricture Recurrence After Anterior Urethroplasty

“…Finally, although the IPSS remains a popular questionnaire for reconstructive urologists, its reliability has been questioned even in the general LUTS and BPH population, so the results may not be surprising to many readers. 22–24 We believe that future studies on non-invasive testing for recurrence should focus more on patient-specific voiding parameters (ie, nongeneric) that can be followed longitudinally.…”