Abstract

Background: A short, standardised, self-administered quality of life questionnaire would be a useful addition to the outcome measures in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) research. A study was therefore undertaken to validate a new OSA specific self-administered questionnaire (the Quebec Sleep Questionnaire, QSQ) for use in clinical trials.

Methods: This study followed a description of health related quality of life in patients with OSA. Construct validity and responsiveness were tested by comparing the baseline and changes in domain scores (daytime sleepiness, diurnal symptoms, nocturnal symptoms, emotions, social interactions) with those of questionnaires measuring related constructs (SF-36, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, SCL-90, and Functional Outcomes in Sleep Questionnaire).

Results: Sixty patients (48 men) of mean (SD) age 55 (10) years participated in the study. In the analysis of the discriminative function of the questionnaire, moderate to high correlations were found between the scores in each domain of the QSQ and the corresponding questionnaires. In the analysis of its evaluative function significant differences were found in score changes between patients who were treated and those who were not, and moderate to high correlations were seen between changes in scores in the QSQ and changes in the corresponding questionnaires. Most of these correlations met the a priori predictions made regarding their magnitude.

Conclusion: The QSQ is a valid measure of health related quality of life in patients with OSA and is sensitive to treatment induced changes.