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Europace 2009 11(10):1369-1374; doi:10.1093/europace/eup106
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Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2009. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Syncope and Implantable Loop Recorders

The development and preliminary validation of a scale measuring the impact of syncope on quality of life

Marianne Sarah Rose*, Mary-Lou Koshman, Debbie Ritchie and Robert Sheldon

Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1

Aims: To develop a brief syncope-specific measure of health-related quality of life.

Methods and results: One hundred and fourteen patients with syncope completed a 48-item questionnaire derived from a generic measure of quality of life (the EQ-5D), the Syncope Functional Status Questionnaire, a depression scale (the CES-D) and historical symptoms. From these, clinical impact methodology was used to derive 12-item Impact of Syncope on Quality of Life (ISQL). The ISQL correlated with the number of syncopal spells in the previous year (r = 0.35), self-perceived health status (r = –0.55), the three scores from the SFSQ: [impairment (r = 0.77), fear and worry (r = 0.72), syncope dysfunction (r = 0.82), and depression (r = 0.62)], illustrating its convergent validity with these concepts. Known group differences were evident between patients who exhibited reduced quality of life on the EQ-5D and those who did not. There was no significant correlation between ISQL score and age or gender. ISQL score correlated better with the frequency of spells in the previous year than years prior to the previous year.

Conclusion: The ISQL is a brief valid measure of the impact of syncope on quality of life. It measures impairment, fear, depression, and physical limitations, and correlates with recent syncope frequency.

Key Words: Syncope, Health related quality of life, Clinical impact, Convergent validity, Construct validity

* Corresponding author. Tel: +1 403 944 4865, Fax: +1 403 944 4775, Email: rose{at}ucalgary.ca

Manuscript submitted 14 February 2009. Accepted after revision 4 April 2006.


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Related articles in Europace:

Impact of syncope on quality of life: do we need another tool?
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Europace 2009 11: 1265-1266. [Full Text]  



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M. D. Gammage
Impact of syncope on quality of life: do we need another tool?
Europace, October 1, 2009; 11(10): 1265 - 1266.
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