Development and validation of a short version of the Freiburg Life Quality Assessment for chronic venous disease (FLQA-VS-10)

BackgroundPatients with venous diseases may show marked reductions in health-related quality of life. The Freiburg Life Quality Assessment for venous diseases has been shown to be a valid and physical instrument.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to develop and test a short version of the Freiburg Life Quality Assessment for venous diseases (FLQA-v).MethodsBased on a longitudinal interventional study in patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) following radical crossectomy, long-term data on the FLQA-v were obtained. Factor analysis was conducted and items with less scale fit were removed by an expert panel. The resulting short version FLQA-VS-10 was then tested for validity and reliability.ResultsData from n = 93 patients with CVI II were included (age 61 years, range 28–88, median 62, 78% female). Factor analysis revealed four dimensions which persisted after reduction of items from 29 to 10. In the validation there were few floor and ceiling effects. Reliability according to Cronbach's alpha was between 0.80 and 0.83. There was satisfying convergent validity and treatment responsiveness after surgery.ConclusionThis short version of the Freiburg Life Quality Assessment for venous diseases (FLQA-VS-10) with 10 items is an easy-to-use instrument for assessing health-related quality of life. It demonstrated validity and feasibility and can be used in practice and research.