Paper versus web-based administration of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory 20 and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire 7

Abstract

Web-based questionnaires are increasingly employed for clinical research. To investigate whether web-based and paper versions of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory 20 (PFDI-20) and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire 7 (PFIQ-7) yield similar results, we compared results obtained with these two modes of administration. Women with pelvic floor disorders completed both versions of these questionnaires. Scores between modes of administration were compared using the paired t test and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Among the 52 participants, there were no significant differences in scores or scale scores between the web-based and paper questionnaires. The ICC was 0.91 for the PFDI-20 score and 0.81 for the PFIQ-7 score (p < 0.001 for each). The web-based format was preferred by 22 participants (53%), ten (24%) preferred the paper format, and nine (21%) had no preference. The acceptability and score equivalence recommend these web-based questionnaires as an alternative to paper questionnaires for clinical research.