Reproducibility, feasibility and validity of the Groningen Defecation and Fecal Continence questionnaires

Meinds, Rob J.; Timmerman, Marjolijn E W; Meegdenburg, Maxime M. van; Trzpis, Monika; Broens, Paul M. A.

doi:10.1080/00365521.2018.1465993

Cited by 35 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…This questionnaire incorporated various Rome IV criteria and scoring tools for severity of constipation and fecal incontinence. Overall reproducibility of the Groningen DeFeC questionnaire is acceptable and its validity is good [19]. This makes it a feasible screening tool for defecation disorders.…”

Section: Groningen Defecation and Fecal Continence (Defec)mentioning

confidence: 83%

Pelvic floor rehabilitation to improve functional outcome and quality of life after surgery for rectal cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (FORCE trial)

Kalkdijk-Dijkstra

Heijden

Westreenen

et al. 2020

Trials

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Background: After low anterior resection (LAR), up to 90% of patients develop anorectal dysfunction. Especially fecal incontinence has a major impact on the physical, psychological, social, and emotional functioning of the patient but also on the Dutch National Healthcare budget with more than €2000 spent per patient per year. No standardized treatment is available to help these patients. Common treatment nowadays is focused on symptom relief, consisting of lifestyle advices and pharmacotherapy with bulking agents or antidiarrheal medication. Another possibility is pelvic floor rehabilitation (PFR), which is one of the most important treatments for fecal incontinence in general, with success rates of 50-80%. No strong evidence is available for the use of PFR after LAR. This study aims to prove a beneficial effect of PFR on fecal incontinence, quality of life, and costs in rectal cancer patients after sphincter-saving surgery compared to standard treatment. Methods: The FORCE trial is a multicenter, two-armed, randomized clinical trial. All patients that underwent LAR are recruited from the participating hospitals and randomized for either standard treatment or a standardized PFR program. A total of 128 patients should be randomized. Optimal blinding is not possible. Stratification will be done in variable blocks (gender and additional radiotherapy). The primary endpoint is the Wexner incontinence score; secondary endpoints are health-related and fecal-incontinence-related QoL and cost-effectiveness. Baseline measurements take place before randomization. The primary endpoint is measured 3 months after the start of the intervention, with a 1-year follow-up for sustainability research purposes. Discussion: The results of this study may substantially improve postoperative care for patients with fecal incontinence or anorectal dysfunction after LAR. This section provides insight in the decisions that were made in the organization of this trial.

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Section: Groningen Defecation and Fecal Continence (Defec)mentioning

confidence: 83%

Pelvic floor rehabilitation to improve functional outcome and quality of life after surgery for rectal cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (FORCE trial)

Kalkdijk-Dijkstra

Heijden

Westreenen

et al. 2020

Trials

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“…On agreeing to participate, patients received questionnaires on anorectal functioning and QoL. For children, these were the Paediatric Defaecation and Faecal Continence (P‐DeFeC) questionnaire and the Child Health Questionnaire Child Form 87 (CHQ‐CF87). Adults received the Defaecation and Faecal Continence (DeFeC) questionnaire and the WHO Quality of Life 100 (WHOQOL‐100) questionnaire.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term functional outcomes and quality of life in patients with Hirschsprung's disease

Meinds

Steeg

Sloots

et al. 2019

British Journal of Surgery

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Background It is unclear whether functional outcomes improve or deteriorate with age following surgery for Hirschsprung's disease. The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to determine the long‐term functional outcomes and quality of life (QoL) in patients with Hirschsprung's disease. Methods Patients with pathologically proven Hirschsprung's disease older than 7 years were included. Patients with a permanent stoma or intellectual disability were excluded. Functional outcomes were assessed according to the Rome IV criteria using the Defaecation and Faecal Continence questionnaire. QoL was assessed by means of the Child Health Questionnaire Child Form 87 or World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire 100. Reference data from healthy controls were available for comparison. Results Of 619 patients invited, 346 (55·9 per cent) responded, with a median age of 18 (range 8–45) years. The prevalence of constipation was comparable in paediatric and adult patients (both 22·0 per cent), and in patients and controls. Compared with controls, adults with Hirschsprung's disease significantly more often experienced straining (50·3 versus 36·1 per cent; P = 0·011) and incomplete evacuation (47·4 versus 27·2 per cent; P < 0·001). The prevalence of faecal incontinence, most commonly soiling, was lower in adults than children with Hirschsprung's disease (16·8 versus 37·6 per cent; P < 0·001), but remained higher than in controls (16·8 versus 6·1 per cent; P = 0·003). Patients with poor functional outcomes scored significantly lower in several QoL domains. Conclusion This study has shown that functional outcomes are better in adults than children, but symptoms of constipation and soiling persist in a substantial group of adults with Hirschsprung's disease. The persistence of defaecation problems is an indication that continuous care is necessary in this specific group of patients.

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“…We performed a cross-sectional study of the adult Dutch population between 1 September 2015 and 1 November 2015, using the validated Groningen Defecation and Fecal Continence questionnaire [21]. From the 3031 respondents who started filling out the questionnaire, 1642 (54.2%) filled it out completely.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of demographic characteristics on constipation symptoms: a detailed overview

et al. 2020

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Background: Diagnosing constipation remains difficult and its treatment continues to be ineffective. The reason may be that the symptom patterns of constipation differ in different demographic groups. We aimed to determine the pattern of constipation symptoms in different demographic groups and to define the symptoms that best indicate constipation. Methods: In this cross-sectional study the Groningen Defecation and Fecal Continence questionnaire was completed by a representative sample of the adult Dutch population (N = 892). We diagnosed constipation according to the Rome IV criteria for constipation. Results: The Rome criteria were fulfilled by 15.6% of the study group and we found the highest prevalence of constipation in women and young adults (19.7 and 23.5%, respectively). Symptom patterns differed significantly between constipated respondents of various ages, while we did not observe sex-based differences. Finally, we found a range of constipation symptoms, not included in the Rome IV criteria, that showed marked differences in prevalence between constipated and non-constipated individuals, especially failure to defecate (Δ = 41.2%). Conclusions: Primarily, we found that certain symptoms of constipation are age-dependent. Moreover, we emphasize that symptoms of constipation not included in the Rome IV criteria, such as daily failure to defecate and an average duration of straining of more than five minutes, are also reliable indicators of constipation. Therefore, we encourage clinicians to adopt a more comprehensive approach to diagnosing constipation.

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Reproducibility, feasibility and validity of the Groningen Defecation and Fecal Continence questionnaires

Cited by 35 publications

References 32 publications

Pelvic floor rehabilitation to improve functional outcome and quality of life after surgery for rectal cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (FORCE trial)

Pelvic floor rehabilitation to improve functional outcome and quality of life after surgery for rectal cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (FORCE trial)

Long-term functional outcomes and quality of life in patients with Hirschsprung's disease

The influence of demographic characteristics on constipation symptoms: a detailed overview

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