Psychometric evaluation of the Swallowing Outcomes After Laryngectomy (SOAL) patient-reported outcome measure

Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swallowing Outcomes After Laryngectomy (SOAL) in a large group of people who underwent a laryngectomy. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional psychometric study of laryngectomy patients (minimum 3 months posttreatment) attending routine hospital follow-up for the psychometric evaluation of SOAL. Results. One hundred ten people participated in this study. Thirteen percent of the patients had a laryngectomy, 63% had laryngectomy with radiotherapy, and 24% had laryngectomy with chemoradiation therapy. The SOAL showed good quality of data (minimal missing data and floor effects); good internal consistency (alpha=0.91); and adequate test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient=0.73). In terms of validity, it differentiated people by treatment group (F(2,85) =8.02; p=.001) and diet texture group (t(102) =-7.33; p<. 001). Conclusion. The SOAL demonstrates good validity and has potential for use in research. Further study is required to determine its clinical application. (C) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.