Towards measurement of outcome for patients with varicose veins.

OBJECTIVE To develop a valid and reliable outcome measure for patients with varicose veins. DESIGN Postal questionnaire survey of patients with varicose veins. SETTING Surgical outpatient departments and training general practices in Grampian region. SUBJECTS 373 patients, 287 of whom had just been referred to hospital for their varicose veins and 86 who had just consulted a general practitioner for this condition and, for comparison, a random sample of 900 members of the general population. MAIN MEASURES Content validity, internal consistency, and criterion validity. RESULTS 281(76%) patients (mean age 45.8; 76% female) and 542(60%) of the general population (mean age 47.9; 54% female) responded. The questionnaire had good internal consistency as measured by item-total correlations. Factor analysis identified four important health factors: pain and dysfunction, cosmetic appearance, extent of varicosity and complications. The validity of the questionnaire was demonstrated by a high correlation with the SF-36 health profile, which is a general measure of patients' health. The perceived health of patients with varicose veins, as measured by the SF-36, was significantly lower than that of the sample of the general population adjusted for age and a lower proportion of women. CONCLUSION A clinically derived questionnaire can provide a valid and reliable tool to assess the perceived health of patients with varicose veins. IMPLICATIONS The questionnaire may be used to justify surgical treatment of varicose veins.