Development of a patient reported outcome scale for fatigue in multiple sclerosis: The Neurological Fatigue Index (NFI-MS)

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Research

Alan Tennant¹  Julie F Pallant²  Carolyn A Young³  Roger J Mills³ 

[1] Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds, D Floor, Martin Wing, Leeds General Infirmary, Gt George Street, LS1 3EX, Leeds, UK;School of Rural Health, University of Melbourne, 49 Graham St, 3630, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia;The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, L9 7LJ, Liverpool, UK;

关键词: Multiple Sclerosis;    Differential Item Functioning;    Expand Disability Status Scale Score;    Local Dependency;    Summary Scale;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1477-7525-8-22

 received in 2009-11-12, accepted in 2010-02-12,  发布年份 2010

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundFatigue is a common and debilitating symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). Best-practice guidelines suggest that health services should repeatedly assess fatigue in persons with MS. Several fatigue scales are available but concern has been expressed about their validity. The objective of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of a new scale for MS fatigue, the Neurological Fatigue Index (NFI-MS).MethodsQualitative analysis of 40 MS patient interviews had previously contributed to a coherent definition of fatigue, and a potential 52 item set representing the salient themes. A draft questionnaire was mailed out to 1223 people with MS, and the resulting data subjected to both factor and Rasch analysis.ResultsData from 635 (51.9% response) respondents were split randomly into an 'evaluation' and 'validation' sample. Exploratory factor analysis identified four potential subscales: 'physical', 'cognitive', 'relief by diurnal sleep or rest' and 'abnormal nocturnal sleep and sleepiness'. Rasch analysis led to further item reduction and the generation of a Summary scale comprising items from the Physical and Cognitive subscales. The scales were shown to fit Rasch model expectations, across both the evaluation and validation samples.ConclusionA simple 10-item Summary scale, together with scales measuring the physical and cognitive components of fatigue, were validated for MS fatigue.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Mills et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010