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Descriptions of the Overactive Bladder Questionnaires
BSW | N-QOL | OAB-q | OAB-q SF | OAB Awareness Tool | OAB-FIM | PPBC
BSW
The BSW consists of three, single-item, patient-rated, interviewer administered, global assessments of treatment Benefit, Satisfaction with treatment, and Willingness to continue treatment.
Patient-reported constructs such as health-related quality of life and treatment satisfaction have been assessed using multi-item and single-item measures. Multi-item measures (such as the OAB-q) are a rich source of information regarding the many facets of patient's lives that are affected by a condition. However, single-item, global measures such as the BSW have the advantage of brevity, ease of administration, and ease of interpretation. Single-item measures may be useful in conditions with multiple and varied symptoms (e.g. OAB) and in circumstances where the construct is an evaluation based on personal criteria that are not well understood or that vary from patient to patient (e.g. overall satisfaction). The choice between single- and multi-item measures requires a careful consideration of these factors.
The BSW has demonstrated concurrent and discriminant validity in patients with OAB (Pleil et al. 2005). This instrument can facilitate physician efforts to gain an understanding of how patients value their treatment while providing a quick and convenient way to determine if there are treatment-related issues that require additional exploration.
Click here to order the BSW.
Nocturia Quality of Life (N-QOL) Questionnaire
The N-QOL is a 13-item, 5-point scale that asks patients to rate their subjective impression of the impact of "having to get up at night to urinate" on their quality of life.
This measure has been shown to have concurrent and discriminant validity [Abraham et al. 2004].
The N-QOL has been translated into several languages. Click here for the translations. Click here to order the N-QOL.
The OAB-q
The Overactive Bladder Questionnaire (OAB-q) was developed to assess the symptom bother and health-related quality of life (HRQL) impact of overactive bladder (OAB) on patients' lives. The instrument was developed and validated in both continent and incontinent OAB patients as well as among men and women.
The figure below shows the relationships among the questionnaires. The OAB-q SF and OAB Awareness Tool were derived from the OAB-q.
When you go to the order page, you will be asked to complete the required information. You can choose to be sent any or all of the three OAB questionnaires:
- The original 33-item OAB-q
- The 19-item OAB-q Short Form, and/or
- The 8-item OAB Awareness Tool.
The original 33-item OAB-q consists of an 8-item symptom bother scale and 25 items health-related quality of life (HRQL) items. The 25 HRQL items comprise 4 subscales (concern, coping, social interaction, sleep) and a total HRQL score.
Important details regarding the 33-item OAB-q are:
- Self-administered in approximately 10 minutes;
- Recall period is the previous four weeks ;
- Each item is rated on a 6-point Likert scale; and
- Designed for use among individuals who are 18+ in age.
Go here for more details about the OAB-q family including the development and psychometric validation of the original 33-item OAB-q, as well as frequently asked questions about the three OAB-q questionnaires.
The OAB-q Short Form (OAB-q SF)
A shortened version of the OAB-q was derived from the original questionnaire through item response theory analyses. This "short form," called the OAB-q SF, consists of a 6-item symptom bother scale and a 13-item HRQL scale. The OAB-q SF has been included in the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire (ICIQ-OAB) module to assess the impact of OAB on patients' lives. Development and validation of the OAB-q SF was recently described in a presentation at the 2004 Meeting of the International Continence Society and the International Urogynecological Society.
The OAB-q SF was derived from the original OAB-q to reduce respondent burden while retaining the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the OAB-q. It has been validated retrospectively using data from a cross-sectional survey (n = 919) and a 12-week clinical trial (n = 865).
Rasch analysis (or Item Response Theory) was used to identify the questions or items within the original OAB-q that perform best across the spectrum of OAB symptoms. Items that worked well among patients with mild symptoms as well as severe symptoms were retained. Factor structure of the short form was examined using confirmatory factor analysis.
The 8-item symptom bother scale of the OAB-q was reduced to 6 items, and the 25-item HRQL scale of the OAB-q was reduced to 13 items.
The OAB-q SF demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and responsiveness. These results have been presented at the 2004 Joint Meeting of the International Continence Society and the International UroGynecological Association (IUGA).
Reliability and Responsiveness of the OAB-q and OAB-q SF
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# of items
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Cronbach's α
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Effect Size
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Subscale
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OAB-q
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OAB-q SF
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OAB-q
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OAB-q SF
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OAB-q
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OAB-q SF
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Symptom bother
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8
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6
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0.93
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0.91
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-1.23
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-1.14
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HRQL
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25
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13
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0.97
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0.95
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0.97
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0.99
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The OAB-q SF captures the full spectrum of OAB symptom bother and HRQL impact with good reliability, validity, and responsiveness, while being less time-consuming for patients to complete.
The OAB-q SF will be incorporated into the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire (ICIQ) as the "ICIQ-OAB."
Go here for more details about the OAB-q family of questionnaires.
The OAB Awareness Tool
The 8-item symptom bother scale of the original OAB-q has been validated as an awareness tool to assist patients and physicians in primary care settings. Validation of the OAB Awareness Tool was recently described in a presentation at the 2004 Joint Meeting of the International Continence Society and the International Urogynecological Society.
The 8-item symptom bother scale of the OAB-q has been evaluated as a screening tool for use in a primary care setting to identify patients who may have OAB. This study was conducted among 1260 patients from a primary care setting. Patients with a positive screener score were 95.7 times more likely than other patients to be diagnosed with Probable OAB.
The screening scores among the three diagnostic groups identified by clinicians (i.e., no OAB, possible OAB, probable OAB) were significantly different from each other.
This brief, simple tool can be used to screen for OAB in the primary care setting and raise awareness of OAB among primary care physicians and patients.
Go here for more details about the OAB-q family of questionnaires.
Overactive Bladder Family Impact Measure (OAB-FIM)
The Overactive Bladder Family Impact Measure (OAB-FIM) is the first validated instrument designed to assess the impact of OAB on family members' quality of life (Coyne et al. 2009). This 19-item questionnaire has four subscales (Irritation, Activities, Travel, Concern) intended for use among all family members as well as two additional subscales (Sleep, Sex) for use only by spouses/significant others of OAB patients. In a validation study conducted with dyads of OAB patients and their family members, the OAB-FIM demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity. In addition, the questionnaire discriminated between family members of OAB patients and control family members. Results of this study suggested that OAB has an impact on family members, and the OAB-FIM is a useful instrument for assessing this impact.
Click here to order the OAB-FIM.
Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC)
The PPBC is a single-item, 6-point scale that asks patients to rate their subjective impression of their current bladder problems.
Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (American English Version)
Which of the following statements describes your bladder condition best at the moment? Please mark "X" in one box only.
This measure has been shown to have concurrent and discriminant validity as well as responsiveness to treatment [Coyne et al 2006].
The PPBC has been translated into several languages. Click here for the translations. Click here to order the PPBC.
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