AJOG Reviews
Health-related quality of life measurement in women with common benign gynecologic conditions: A systematic review

https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2002.124940Get rights and content

Abstract

Endometriosis, menorrhagia, chronic pelvic pain, and polycystic ovary syndrome are major sources of psychologic morbidity and can negatively affect quality of life. Although comparative studies have been published on the measurement of health-related quality of life for gynecologic malignancies, a similar review for these benign gynecologic conditions has not been conducted. Consequently, we searched the literature systematically to identify the impact of symptoms and treatments for these conditions on health status and to report on the types and psychometric properties of the instruments used. Papers were retrieved by systematically searching 6 electronic databases and hand-searching relevant reference lists and bibliographies. Forty-six studies used a questionnaire to measure health status: 34 studies (74%) used standardized instruments; of these, 23 studies (68%) used generic tools. Although a meta analysis was not possible, it appears that women with chronic pelvic pain and conditions that are associated with pelvic pain (such as endometriosis) report worse health-related quality of life. Despite the development of disease-specific questionnaires, only 2 questionnaires were generated from interviews of patients with the condition of interest, and few questionnaires are being used to evaluate the outcomes of treatment on subjective health status. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;187:501-11.)

Section snippets

Methods

An extensive literature search was conducted with 6 electronic databases: Medline (1966-2000/12), Embase (1980-2000/12), PsychINFO (1887-2000/12), the Royal College of Nursing Journals database (1985-96), British Nursing Index (2000), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (1982-2000/12). The search terms used relating to HRQOL were quality of life , health-related quality of life , health status measurement , functional status , and subjective health status. These terms

Results

A total of 1715 publications were identified (Table I).

. Number of papers identified from the search with the key phrases: quality of life, HRQoL, health status measurement, functional status, and subjective health status

DiseaseMedline (n)Embase (n)PsychINFO (n)Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (n)British Nursing Index + Royal College of Nursing (n)
Gynaecology1361393793
Gynecology384396201985
Endometriosis36350132
Menorrhagia4338380
Fibroid tumor(s)46010
Heavy period(s)10020

Comment

Endometriosis, menorrhagia, CPP, and PCOS are major sources of psychologic morbidity and typically lead to an overall diminished HRQOL. Although a meta-analysis was not possible, it appears that CPP is 1 of the most significant aspects of gynecologic illness. For women who have a benign gynecologic condition in which CPP is a primary symptom (eg, endometriosis), the negative impact on HRQOL was greater than for women with a benign gynecologic condition in which pelvic pain is absent or mild; it

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      Citation Excerpt :

      There are no systematic reviews available on content validity of PROMs measuring QoL in women with CPP using a standardized COSMIN methodology. Previous reviews published on PROMs in benign gynaecology including CPP and endometriosis have been limited [8–11]. Results have been descriptive, presented basic psychometric properties and not performed using a standardized COSMIN methodology.

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    Reprint requests: Georgina Jones, DPhil, Institute of General Practice & Primary Care, Community Sciences Building, Herries Road, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, S5 7AU United Kingdom; E-mail: [email protected]

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