[Validation of a pelvic floor questionnaire with improvement and satisfaction scales to assess symptom severity, bothersomeness and quality of life before and after pelvic floor therapy]

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to integrate and validate an additional post-treatment module including improvement and satisfaction scales to the validated German pelvic floor questionnaire.

Methods: The questionnaire contained the domains bladder, bowel prolapse, and sexual symptoms. It was completed by 55 patients before and after specific pelvic floor rehabilitation. A post-therapy module with improvement and satisfaction scales was integrated and tested psychometrically.

Results: Missing data did not exceed 4%. Improvement and satisfaction correlated significantly with bladder and bowel domain scores. Test-retest reliability showed moderate to good agreement. The questionnaire was sensitive to change with a large effect size. The improvement of bladder symptoms in 91% of the women correlated with the domain score.

Conclusion: The validated German pelvic floor questionnaire including a post-treatment module assesses symptoms, improvement and satisfaction in a reliable and reproducible fashion.