A prospective cohort study of the clinical management of total abdominal hysterectomy for benign disease

Development and validation of the Menorrhagia Outcomes Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE

To develop and evaluate the acceptability, reliability and validity of a short, patient-based questionnaire for assessing the outcomes of surgical treatment for menorrhagia due to benign disease.

DESIGN

A psychometric study by postal survey.

SETTING

Five hospitals in southeast England.

SAMPLE

One hundred and eleven women undergoing hysterectomy for menorrhagia due to benign disease.

METHODS

Data from a long research questionnaire used in the North West Thames Hysterectomy Study were analysed using standard psychometric methods to identify the subset of items which were the most scientifically sound indicators of outcome. The Menorrhagia Outcomes questionnaire is a 26-item questionnaire which covers symptoms, post-operative complications, quality of life, and women's satisfaction with outcome. The questionnaire was field tested for acceptability, reliability and validity by postal survey.

RESULTS

The Menorrhagia Outcomes Questionnaire was found to be highly acceptable to women and showed excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability, criterion and construct validity.

CONCLUSION

The Menorrhagia Outcomes Questionnaire is a practical and scientifically sound measure of outcome from the woman's perspective following surgical treatment for menorrhagia due to benign disease. It takes less than five minutes to complete, is appropriate for use with different surgical treatments for menorrhagia (eg. hysterectomy, endometrial resection, laser ablation) and is feasible for routine monitoring of large numbers of women by postal survey. Most importantly, this questionnaire has been shown to perform well from a scientific point view, having met standard psychometric criteria for reliability and validity.