Determining the minimal important differences in the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire: results from an observational cohort study in Dutch primary care

Objectives To determine the minimal important difference (MID) of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire short form (OAB-q SF) assessed in primary care among patients treated for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).Design Single-arm, open-label obser...

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Main Authors: Harma Johanna Alma, Henk van der Worp, Martijn G Steffens, Marco H Blanker, Tahira Sakina Devji, Marjan Roelofs
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2019-12-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e032795.full
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author Harma Johanna Alma
Henk van der Worp
Martijn G Steffens
Marco H Blanker
Tahira Sakina Devji
Marjan Roelofs
author_facet Harma Johanna Alma
Henk van der Worp
Martijn G Steffens
Marco H Blanker
Tahira Sakina Devji
Marjan Roelofs
author_sort Harma Johanna Alma
collection DOAJ
description Objectives To determine the minimal important difference (MID) of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire short form (OAB-q SF) assessed in primary care among patients treated for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).Design Single-arm, open-label observational cohort study with a 6-week follow-up.Setting Twenty-two pharmacies in the Netherlands.Participants We enrolled Dutch men with uncomplicated LUTS who received a new alpha-blocker prescription from their general practitioner or urologist.Primary and secondary outcomes The IPSS and OAB-q SF were completed before and after 6 weeks of therapy. At 6 weeks, men also completed the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I). The mean change scores of the IPSS and OAB-q SF were calculated for each PGI-I outcome category, with the category ‘a little better’ used to determine the MID. The SE of measurement (SEM) was calculated for each questionnaire.Results In total, 165 men completed follow-up. The MID was 5.2 points (95% CI 3.9 to 6.4; SEM 3.6) for the IPSS and 11.0 points (95% CI 7.1 to 14.9; SEM 9.7) for the OAB-q SF. For both questionnaires, CIs showed an overlap with the no-change categories. However, the MID for the IPSS was higher in men with severe baseline symptoms (7.1; 95% CI 5.3 to 9.0) than in men with moderate baseline symptoms (3.2; 95% CI 1.7 to 4.8).Conclusion In this study, the MID for the IPSS was considerably higher than the MID of 3.1 reported in the only other study on this topic, but may be due to methodological differences. Interpretation of the MID for the OAB-q SF is hampered by the overlap with the SEM. Future studies are needed to confirm our results because correlations between the PGI-I and symptom questionnaires were suboptimal.
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spelling doaj-art-df619d032e9c428fb3be723eac4edff72025-08-20T02:38:35ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-12-0191210.1136/bmjopen-2019-032795Determining the minimal important differences in the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire: results from an observational cohort study in Dutch primary careHarma Johanna Alma0Henk van der Worp1Martijn G Steffens2Marco H Blanker3Tahira Sakina Devji4Marjan Roelofs52 Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD (GRIAC), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The NetherlandsDepartment General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University of Groningen, University medical center groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands4 Urology, Isala Hospitals, Zwolle, The Netherlands1 Department of Primary and Long Term Care, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen University, Groningen, The Netherlands3 Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada1 Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The NetherlandsObjectives To determine the minimal important difference (MID) of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire short form (OAB-q SF) assessed in primary care among patients treated for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).Design Single-arm, open-label observational cohort study with a 6-week follow-up.Setting Twenty-two pharmacies in the Netherlands.Participants We enrolled Dutch men with uncomplicated LUTS who received a new alpha-blocker prescription from their general practitioner or urologist.Primary and secondary outcomes The IPSS and OAB-q SF were completed before and after 6 weeks of therapy. At 6 weeks, men also completed the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I). The mean change scores of the IPSS and OAB-q SF were calculated for each PGI-I outcome category, with the category ‘a little better’ used to determine the MID. The SE of measurement (SEM) was calculated for each questionnaire.Results In total, 165 men completed follow-up. The MID was 5.2 points (95% CI 3.9 to 6.4; SEM 3.6) for the IPSS and 11.0 points (95% CI 7.1 to 14.9; SEM 9.7) for the OAB-q SF. For both questionnaires, CIs showed an overlap with the no-change categories. However, the MID for the IPSS was higher in men with severe baseline symptoms (7.1; 95% CI 5.3 to 9.0) than in men with moderate baseline symptoms (3.2; 95% CI 1.7 to 4.8).Conclusion In this study, the MID for the IPSS was considerably higher than the MID of 3.1 reported in the only other study on this topic, but may be due to methodological differences. Interpretation of the MID for the OAB-q SF is hampered by the overlap with the SEM. Future studies are needed to confirm our results because correlations between the PGI-I and symptom questionnaires were suboptimal.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e032795.full
spellingShingle Harma Johanna Alma
Henk van der Worp
Martijn G Steffens
Marco H Blanker
Tahira Sakina Devji
Marjan Roelofs
Determining the minimal important differences in the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire: results from an observational cohort study in Dutch primary care
BMJ Open
title Determining the minimal important differences in the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire: results from an observational cohort study in Dutch primary care
title_full Determining the minimal important differences in the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire: results from an observational cohort study in Dutch primary care
title_fullStr Determining the minimal important differences in the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire: results from an observational cohort study in Dutch primary care
title_full_unstemmed Determining the minimal important differences in the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire: results from an observational cohort study in Dutch primary care
title_short Determining the minimal important differences in the International Prostate Symptom Score and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire: results from an observational cohort study in Dutch primary care
title_sort determining the minimal important differences in the international prostate symptom score and overactive bladder questionnaire results from an observational cohort study in dutch primary care
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e032795.full
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