Validation of the 10‐Item Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis‐Handicap Index quality of life questionnaire

• Published in: Clinical otolaryngology 2024-03, Vol.49 (2), p.185-190
• Main Authors: Hernández‐Sandemetrio, Rosa, Oishi, Natsuki, López‐Sánchez, Isabel, García‐López, Isabel, Zapater, Enrique
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Consistency; Humans; Paralysis; Patients; Phonation; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Reliability; Reproducibility of Results; self‐assessment questionnaire; Statistical analysis; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; unilateral vocal fold paralysis; validation; Validity; Vocal Cord Paralysis - surgery; Vocal Cords; Vocal organs; Vocalization behavior
• ISSN: 1749-4478; 1749-4486
• DOI: 10.1111/coa.14120

Objectives To validate and test the reliability of the 10‐Item Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis‐Voice Handicap Index (UVFP‐HI‐10) quality of life (QoL) questionnaire for patients with UVFP. Design Prospective describe study based on perceptive surveys. Participants We recruited 61 patients with UVFP and 53 healthy individuals comprised the control group. Main Outcome Measures Both the patients and controls completed the UVFP‐HI‐10 questionnaire. A statistical analysis was performed to assess the internal consistency and validity of the survey. In addition, maximum phonation time (MPT) was used to objectively measure patient QoL. Results Internal consistency was high (α = .914) and the correlation with MPT was significant (rs = −0.722). The estimated marginal mean in the discriminant validity study was around seven times higher in the UVFP group compared to the controls. The UVFP‐HI‐10 cut‐off value was more than 0.9 and the sensitivity and specificity were more than 0.8. Conclusions The UVFP‐HI‐10 is a self‐administered patient‐reported outcome questionnaire with a high reliability and excellent criterion‐based validity. This questionnaire can be used to evaluate specific clinical complaints (e.g., vocalisation, swallowing, and breathing) in terms of their impact on QoL in patients with UVFP. Thus, its use is appropriate as a basic assessment tool as part of a specific UVFP treatment protocol.