OBJECTIVES: To compare results on the 40-item Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire (ALSAQ-40) with those gained on the short-form five-item Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire (ALSAQ-5) in a longitudinal study. DESIGN: Postal survey. Copies of the ALSAQ-40 which incorporates the five items of the ALSAQ-5, were completed on two occasions. Respondents were also asked to indicate how much change they had experienced since baseline on each of the five domains of the questionnaire. SETTING: The database of all patient members of the Motor Neurone Disease Association for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. SUBJECTS: Nine hundred and twenty-seven patient members returned questionnaires at baseline, and 764 completed questionnaires at both baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Results on the five dimensions of the ALSAQ-40 and ALSAQ-5 were found to be highly correlated, and 95% confidence intervals on mean scores were found to overlap for each dimension. The instruments both provide a similar picture of change in terms of their responsiveness. For example, effect sizes were calculated for patients who claimed their health had deteriorated a little since baseline, and gave almost identical results (e.g. for the Physical functioning domain effect sizes of 0.12 and 0.11 were found on the long and short measures respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggests that the ALSAQ-5 provides similar results to the ALSAQ-40 yet with considerable economy. In instances where a very brief health status measure is required then the ALSAQ-5 may be the instrument of choice.
OBJECTIVES: To compare results on the 40-item Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire (ALSAQ-40) with those gained on the short-form five-item Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire (ALSAQ-5) in a longitudinal study. DESIGN: Postal survey. Copies of the ALSAQ-40 which incorporates the five items of the ALSAQ-5, were completed on two occasions. Respondents were also asked to indicate how much change they had experienced since baseline on each of the five domains of the questionnaire. SETTING: The database of all patient members of the Motor Neurone Disease Association for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. SUBJECTS: Nine hundred and twenty-seven patient members returned questionnaires at baseline, and 764 completed questionnaires at both baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Results on the five dimensions of the ALSAQ-40 and ALSAQ-5 were found to be highly correlated, and 95% confidence intervals on mean scores were found to overlap for each dimension. The instruments both provide a similar picture of change in terms of their responsiveness. For example, effect sizes were calculated for patients who claimed their health had deteriorated a little since baseline, and gave almost identical results (e.g. for the Physical functioning domain effect sizes of 0.12 and 0.11 were found on the long and short measures respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggests that the ALSAQ-5 provides similar results to the ALSAQ-40 yet with considerable economy. In instances where a very brief health status measure is required then the ALSAQ-5 may be the instrument of choice.
Authors: Tara Peseschkian; Isabell Cordts; René Günther; Benjamin Stolte; Daniel Zeller; Carsten Schröter; Ute Weyen; Martin Regensburger; Joachim Wolf; Ilka Schneider; Andreas Hermann; Moritz Metelmann; Zacharias Kohl; Ralf A Linker; Jan Christoph Koch; Boriana Büchner; Ulrike Weiland; Erik Schönfelder; Felix Heinrich; Alma Osmanovic; Thomas Klopstock; Johannes Dorst; Albert C Ludolph; Matthias Boentert; Tim Hagenacker; Marcus Deschauer; Paul Lingor; Susanne Petri; Olivia Schreiber-Katz Journal: Brain Sci Date: 2021-03-14