Questionnaire-Description

The PDQLQ-37 consists of 37 questions covering four main domains of life affected by Parkinson’s disease:

Motor Function: Assesses movement problems, such as tremors, stiffness, and difficulty in motion.

Emotional State: Evaluates the impact of the disease on mental health, including depression, anxiety, and mood changes.

Social Function: Measures the effect of the disease on social activities and the ability to participate in daily social interactions.

Daily Activities: Examines how Parkinson’s disease affects everyday tasks, such as self-care, work, and hobbies.

The questionnaire is designed to provide a comprehensive picture of patients’ quality of life, focusing on the real-life challenges they experience due to the disease.

Data Analysis and Usage

The data collected from the PDQLQ-37 comes from patients’ responses to each question, which are scored using a Likert scale. This scale allows researchers to assess the degree to which the disease affects various aspects of a patient’s life.

The main data analysis techniques include:

Reliability analysis, such as calculating Cronbach’s alpha, to ensure the consistency of responses in each subscale.

Factor analysis to confirm the dimensions measured by the questionnaire.

Comparative studies among different patient groups (e.g., different stages of the disease) to evaluate the impact of the disease on various populations.

The questionnaire responses can be used by healthcare professionals to monitor the progression of the disease and to assess the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

Purpose

The main goal of the PDQLQ-37 is to assess the impact of Parkinson’s disease on patients’ quality of life, taking into account both physical and psychological consequences. The questionnaire provides:

An overall picture of the effects of the disease.

Insights into the domains of life that are most affected.

A tool to measure changes in quality of life following therapeutic interventions.

Calibration

The calibration of the PDQLQ-37 involves the following steps:

Reliability analysis to estimate the internal consistency of the scale.

Confirmatory factor analysis to ensure that the four main domains (motor function, emotional state, social function, daily activities) are valid.

Cross-validation in different patient populations to ensure the generalizability of the results.

Bibliography

Jenkinson, C., Fitzpatrick, R., Peto, V., Greenhall, R., & Hyman, N. (1997). The Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39): Development and validation of a Parkinson’s disease summary index score. Age and Ageing, 26(5), 353-357.

Peto, V., Jenkinson, C., & Fitzpatrick, R. (1998). PDQ-39: A review of the development, validation and application of a Parkinson’s disease quality of life questionnaire and its associated measures. Journal of Neurology, 245(1), S10-S14.

Schrag, A., Selai, C., Jahanshahi, M., & Quinn, N. P. (2000). The EQ-5D – a generic quality of life measure – is a useful instrument to measure quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 69(1), 67-73.