ReQuest: a new questionnaire for the simultaneous evaluation of symptoms and well-being in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux

Abstract

ReQuest is a self-reported questionnaire developed to assess, during clinical trials investigating GERD with or without oesophagitis, not only heartburn and acid regurgitation, but the broad spectrum of GERD symptoms. ReQuest comprises 2 sub-scales: ReQuest-GI which covers the 4 dimensions related to gastrointestinal symptoms (acid complaints, upper abdominal/stomach complaints, lower abdominal/digestive complaints, and nausea) and ReQuest-WSO which analyses the three other dimensions (general well-being, sleep disturbances, and other complaints). This self-reported questionnaire, which is completed daily, is available in two forms: a short version quantifying the intensity (10-cm VAS) and frequency (7-point Likert scale) of each of the six main dimensions of the scale and the intensity only of the general well-being dimension, and a longer version which includes, in addition to a global evaluation, a detailed analysis of all the symptoms contributing to each dimension. ReQuest is a tool with proven metrological strengths, enabling the investigators to follow--on a daily, multidimensional and reliable basis--the evolution of GERD in the course of clinical trials. Both versions, the long and the short, have identical metrological qualities.