Preliminary Study Finds RSV Symptom Questionnaire Satisfactory

The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Intensity and Impact Questionnaire (RSV-iiiQ) may be useful for assessing symptom severity and impact of acute RSV infection, suggests a study in the journal Health and Quality of Life Outcomes.

“Our findings provide preliminary evidence that the RSV-iiiQ has satisfactory psychometric properties as a patient-reported measure of the symptoms and impact of RSV infection in adults with RSV,” wrote corresponding author Valerie Williams of RTI Health Solutions, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and study coauthors.

The RSV-iiiQ was adapted from the Influenza Intensity and Impact Questionnaire to fill a need for an RSV-specific, self-reported instrument assessing symptom severity in adults. To investigate some preliminary psychometric properties of the RSV-iiiO, researchers enrolled 111 adults with RSV to complete the RSV-iiiQ as well as the Patient Global Impression of Severity, Sheehan Disability Scale, Patient Global Impression of Change, EQ-5D-5L, and demographic questionnaires.

Analyses showed satisfactory test-retest reliability, construct validity, and discriminating ability of the RSV-iiiQ scales, according to the study.

Specifically, the four scales were sufficiently unidimensional, and the computation of RSV-iiiQ scale scores was plausible, the authors reported. Correlations between RSV-iiiQ scales and the Patient Global Impression of Severity, Sheehan Disability Scale, and EQ-5D-5L tools were largely consistent and provided evidence of content and construct validity. RSV-iiiO scale scores also showed satisfactory responsiveness.

“Importantly,” researchers wrote, “while we expected small changes from day 1 to day 2, responsiveness analyses demonstrated observable differences, suggesting that this patient-reported outcome may be sensitive to small differences in effectiveness between RSV-related symptoms and impact over time.”

Additionally, analyses identified two included items that may be unnecessary in the questionnaire: runny nose and ear pain. Researchers advised testing the finding using item response theory analysis in a larger group of patients.

Reference

Williams V, DeMuro Romano C, Finelli L, et al. Psychometric evaluation of the respiratory syncytial virus infection, intensity and impact questionnaire (RSV-iiiQ) in adults. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2024;22(1):19. doi:10.1186/s12955-023-02174-2