Health related quality of life (HRQL) scoring (DR-12 score) in tuberculosis--additional evaluative tool under DOTS

• Published in: Journal of communicable diseases Vol. 37; no. 4; p. 261
• Main Authors: Dhingra, V K, Rajpal, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India 01.12.2005
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antitubercular Agents - therapeutic use; Female; Humans; India; Male; Middle Aged; Quality of Life; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - classification; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - drug therapy; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - psychology; India
• ISSN: 0019-5138

The study was conducted among patients diagnosed as pulmonary or extra pulmonary tuberculosis attending DOTS facilities at New Delhi Tuberculosis Centre, Delhi. The objectives of the study are; to evaluate the impairment of health related quality of life in patients of tuberculosis by evolving a HRQL questionnaire (DR-12 score) and to validate the new scoring method by making serial assessments of health related quality of life of the patients during anti-tubercular therapy initially, at the end of intensive phase (IP) and at the completion of treatment. Seventy eight consecutive patients aged between 15-60 years put on DOTS treatment at New Delhi Tuberculosis Centre, Delhi were subjected to a HRQL questionnaire (DR-12 score) at 0 week, 8 weeks and at the completion of treatment. The new scoring method contained questions on twelve parameters related to symptoms, physiological, psychological and social well-being of TB patients. The patients were asked to evaluate these twelve parameters on a score of 1-3. All the individual parameters were equally weighted. The data so obtained regarding these scores was analysed using unpaired t-test, paired t-test, one way Anova test and Pearson corelation coefficient test. The patients who converted at the end of intensive phase had a significantly higher gain in scores as against, those who failed to convert even after extension of intensive phase (p=0.019). Significantly higher scores were observed among those who had a favourable outcome as against those who had unfavourable outcome at the completion of treatment (p=0.029). Thus, DR-12 score was found to have a strong construct validity and useful additional evaluative tool for patients under DOTS therapy.