An assessment of the sensibility of a quality-of-life instrument.

The objective of this study was to assess the sensibility of an asthma quality-of-life questionnaire (AQLQ); therefore, a structured survey of asthma patients seen in Hamilton, Ontario, emergency departments and physicians involved in asthma management was performed. Twenty-five consecutive patients who had completed the AQLQ questionnaire twice during a 7- to 10-day pilot study assessed sensibility using a 12-item questionnaire. The same number of practicing physicians from four centers in Ontario were sent the asthma AQLQ questionnaire and were asked to complete a 13-item sensibility form. All patients who were approached successfully completed the sensibility assessment; 80% (20 of 25) of the practicing physicians completed the assessment. Mean response scores were more than 5 of a possible 7 points in all questions for both groups. Patients had more mean responses greater than 6 (7 of 12) than did physicians (2 of 13). The AQLQ seems acceptable and sensible to both patients and physicians. A formal assessment of the sensibility of an outcome measurement can provide valuable information regarding it's use. Both research and clinical outcomes should be subjected to this form of evaluation.