Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2013 Aug 13:13:122.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-13-122.

Variation of health-related quality of life assessed by caregivers and patients affected by severe childhood infections

Wantanee Kulpeng, Vorasith Sornsrivichai, Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Waranya Rattanavipapong, Pattara Leelahavarong, John Cairns, Yoel Lubell, Yot Teerawattananon
Multicenter Study

Variation of health-related quality of life assessed by caregivers and patients affected by severe childhood infections

Wantanee Kulpeng et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: The agreement between self-reported and proxy measures of health status in ill children is not well established. This study aimed to quantify the variation in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) derived from young patients and their carers using different instruments.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between August 2010 and March 2011. Children with meningitis, bacteremia, pneumonia, acute otitis media, hearing loss, chronic lung disease, epilepsy, mild mental retardation, severe mental retardation, and mental retardation combined with epilepsy, aged between five to 14 years in seven tertiary hospitals were selected for participation in this study. The Health Utilities Index Mark 2 (HUI2), and Mark 3 (HUI3), and the EuroQoL Descriptive System (EQ-5D) and Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) were applied to both paediatric patients (self-assessment) and caregivers (proxy-assessment).

Results: The EQ-5D scores were lowest for acute conditions such as meningitis, bacteremia, and pneumonia, whereas the HUI3 scores were lowest for most chronic conditions such as hearing loss and severe mental retardation. Comparing patient and proxy scores (n = 74), the EQ-5D exhibited high correlation (r = 0.77) while in the HUI2 and HUI3 patient and caregiver scores were moderately correlated (r = 0.58 and 0.67 respectively). The mean difference between self and proxy-assessment using the HUI2, HUI3, EQ-5D and EQ-VAS scores were 0.03, 0.05, -0.03 and -0.02, respectively. In hearing-impaired and chronic lung patients the self-rated HRQOL differed significantly from their caregivers.

Conclusions: The use of caregivers as proxies for measuring HRQOL in young patients affected by pneumococcal infection and its sequelae should be employed with caution. Given the high correlation between instruments, each of the HRQOL instruments appears acceptable apart from the EQ-VAS which exhibited low correlation with the others.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean scores and 95% CI obtained in caregivers using 4 HRQOL instruments (proxy-assessment).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean scores and 95% CI obtained in paediatric patients using 4 HRQOL instruments (self-assessment).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Griebsch I, Coast J, Brown J. Quality-adjusted life-years lack quality in pediatric care: a critical review of published cost-utility studies in child health. Pediatrics. 2005;115:e600–e614. doi: 10.1542/peds.2004-2127. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Klassen AF, Landgraf JM, Lee SK, Barer M, Raina P, Chan HW, Matthew D, Brabyn D. Health related quality of life in 3 and 4 year old children and their parents: preliminary findings about a new questionnaire. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2003;1:81. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-1-81. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bushnell DM, Martin ML, Ricci JF, Bracco A. Performance of the EQ-5D in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Value Health. 2006;9:90–97. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-4733.2006.00086.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schweikert B, Hahmann H, Leidl R. Validation of the EuroQol questionnaire in cardiac rehabilitation. Heart. 2006;92:62–67. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2004.052787. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Szecket N, Medin G, Furlong WJ, Feeny DH, Barr RD, Depauw S. Preliminary translation and cultural adaptation of Health Utilities Index questionnaires for application in Argentina. Int J Cancer Suppl. 1999;12:119–124. - PubMed

Publication types