Validation of the spanish version of the multiple sclerosis international quality of life (musiqol) questionnaire

BACKGROUND: The Multiple Sclerosis International Quality Of Life (MusiQoL) questionnaire, a 31-item, multidimensional, self-administrated questionnaire that is available in 14 languages including Spanish, has been validated using a large international sample. We investigated the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of MusiQoL in Spain. METHODS: Consecutive patients with different types and severities of multiple sclerosis (MS) were recruited from 22 centres across Spain. All patients completed the MusiQoL questionnaire, the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) health survey, and a symptoms checklist at baseline and 21 days later. External validity, internal consistency, reliability and reproducibility were tested. RESULTS: A total of 224 Spanish patients were evaluated. Dimensions of MusiQoL generally demonstrated a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.70-0.92 for all but two MusiQoL domain scores). External validity testing revealed that the MusiQoL index score correlated significantly with all SF-36 dimension scores (Pearson's correlation: 0.46-0.76), reproducibility was satisfactory (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.60-0.91), acceptability was high, and the time taken to complete the 31-item questionnaire was reasonable (mean [standard deviation]: 9.8 [11.8] minutes). CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the MusiQoL questionnaire appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for measuring quality of life in patients with MS in Spain and constitutes a useful instrument to measure health-related quality of life in the clinical setting.

ditional file 1: table s1a: List of the 31 MusiQol items (english version). Complete list of the 31 MusiQol items used in t he English version. Additional file 2: Table s1b: List of the 31 MusiQol items (Spahish version). Complete list of the 31 MusiQol items used in the Spanish version.The MusiQoL study group of Spain consisted of the following investigators: Hospital Regional Universitario Carlos Haya, Málaga: O Fernández; Hospital de Bellvitge, Barcelona: T Arbizu; Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid: C de Andrés; Hospital Universitario La Fe, Valencia: B Casanova, IB Blasco; Hospital Clínico Universitario, Zaragoza: C Íñiguez; Hospital Central de Asturias, Oviedo: DF Diaz; Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, Granada: M Guerrero; Hospital Universitario Dr. Josep Trueta, Girona: L Ramió; Hospital de Sabadell, Barcelona: MM Igual; Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid: S Calleja; Mutua de Terrassa, Barcelona: IB Ibars; Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, Lleida: P Granes, L Brieva; Hospital del Mar, Barcelona: EM Olivas; Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Valencia; F Coret; Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Granada: C Arnal; Complejo Hospitalaria de Jaén, Jaén: MH Pérez; Hospital de Alarcos, Ciudad Real: M Gudín; Hospital del Bierzo, Ponferrada, León: DP Ruiz; Hospital de Cruces, Baracaldo, Bilbao: M Mendibe; Hospital Univ. Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia: J Meca; Hospital de Cabueñes, Gijón: S Sanchez; Complejo Hospitalario de Orense, Orense: D Rodriguez.

This work has been performed using a grant from Merck-Serono S.A. - Geneva, Switzerland, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany