Health status during hospitalisations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations: the validity of the Clinical COPD Questionnaire

Abstract

Hospitalisations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are characterised by a significant worsening of the respiratory symptoms which can impair the health status (HS). However little is known on the HS behaviour during such events. Prospective study evaluating the validity of the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) as a HS measure in hospitalisations for COPD exacerbations. The CCQ total score (CCQ-T) correlated with EQ-VAS (-0.51, p < 0.0001), was able to discriminate between longer and shorter duration hospitalisation (CCQ-T 3.83 vs 3.03, respectively p = 0.001), had a Cronbach-α of 0.86, and improved significantly over the hospitalisation period (CCQ-T on day 7 of hospitalisation 2.55 vs 3.77 at baseline, p < 0.0001). CCQ is an excellent tool for the assessment of the HS dynamics in hospitalisations for COPD exacerbations.

Keywords::

• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Clinical COPD Questionnaire
• exacerbations
• health-related quality of life
• hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations
• questionnaires
• respiratory
• symptoms

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank T van der Molen for his most valuable recommendations on the study outline and paper drafting.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• In stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), health status is often evaluated as a measure of patient-perceived disease severity.

• However, health status assessment is not widely accepted for COPD exacerbations and especially for hospitalizations.

• The Clinical COPD Questionnaire is a health status tool that is recommended to be used in patients with stable COPD in secondary as well as in primary care.

• It was also evaluated in milder COPD exacerbations and found to be a valid instrument.

• In this study it was also found to be appropriate for severe COPD exacerbations requiring hospitalizations.

• Health status should be commonly used in the setting of COPD exacerbations in order to better document their severity.