Psychometric and clinimetric validity of the 31-item rhinosinusitis outcome measure (RSOM-31)

Descriptions of rhinosinusitis (RS) patients and evaluation of treatment effectiveness are currently hindered by the lack of a valid measure of health status and quality of life. The RSOM contains 31 RS-specific items (e.g., runny nose, cough, facial pain/pressure), grouped into 7 domains (nasal, eye, sleep, ear and general symptoms; practical problems, and emotional consequences), and was created from discussions with RS patients. Two categorical rating scales were selected for patients to indicate the Magnitude and Importance of each item. The RSOM score is calculated as the sum of the Magnitude X Importance scores. The goal of this project was to validate the RSOM-31. In 142 patients who completed the RSOM, the average age was 45 and there were 86 women. The average total RSOM score was 5.8 (0.8-15.1 = good-bad). The domains most affected were sleep (7.7), general problems (6.4), nasal (6.3), and emotional (6.2). The RSOM score cor related significantly with an overall global quality of life question (r = 0.36); and the Vitality (r = 0.50), General Health (r = 0.47), Social Functioning (r = 0.46), and Role-Physical (r = 0.41) sub-scales of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36. The average total RSOM score decreased over time (indicating improvement) and was correlated with the patient's assessment of their response to treatment (F Value 6.49, P < 0.0001). This study demonstrates that the 31-item RSOM is a valid measure of RS health status and quality of life.