• The I-QOL measures the effect of urinary incontinence on quality of life.
  • The I-QOL is divided into 3 subscales:
    • Avoidance and limiting behavior (ALB)
    • Psychosocial impact (PSI)
    • Social embarrassment (SE)

Clinical Considerations

  • The I-QOL is a highly used and widely recommended scale. Among other populations, the scale has been shown to be reliable, valid, and responsive to change. No ceiling effects have been reported and it is suitable for both men and women.
  • The scale was originally developed for the general population; subsequently, some items are not applicable for individuals with SCI.
  • The questionnaire is easy to understand and poses little respondent burden. However, the assessment cannot be completed by proxy.

ICF Domain

Quality of Life

Administration

  • Self-report questionnaire.
  • Subjects use a 5-point response scale with values ranging from 1 (extremely) to 5 (not at all).

Number of Items

22

Equipment

None

Scoring

  • A mean score for each subscale is calculated (averaging the scores for the items in each subscale) as well as a total score for all 22 items (sum of all subscale scores).
  • The scores are then transformed to a ‘Scale score’ ranging from 0-100 points for ease of interpretation: Scale score = (sum of the items – lowest possible score)/possible raw score range X 100.

Languages

The instrument has been translated into more than 20 European, Asian, North and South American, and African languages.

Training Required

None, but reading the user manual is recommended.

Availability

Can be purchased here.

# of studies reporting psychometric properties: 1

Interpretability

  • For all items, higher scores indicate less impact of urinary tract infections on quality of life.
  • No normative data has been established for the SCI population.

MCID: is approximately 4 points when defined as that corresponding to a small effect size (0.2 SD at baseline) and approximately 11 points when defined as corresponding to a medium effect size (0.5 SD at baseline).
SEM: ranged from 8-11 points.
MDC: not established.

Reliability

Internal consistency is High for the I-QOL total score (Cronbach’s a = 0.93) as well as the 3 subscales (Cronbach’s a = 0.79-0.89).

(Schurch et al. 2007)

Validity

  • Moderate Correlation between SF-36 and I-QOL scores at week 24 for mental health.
    r = 0.45-.59
  • Moderate Correlation between SF-36 and I-QOL scores at week 24 for social functioning.
    r = 0.45-.59
  • Moderate Correlation between SF-36 and I-QOL scores at week 24 for vitality.
    r = 0.45-.59

RANKING N/A: Correlations between SF-36 and I-QOL scores at the end of the study (week 24) were substantial for most SF-36 domains and tended to be stronger and more likely to be significant than those at screening.

(Schurch et al. 2007)

Responsiveness

No values were reported for the responsiveness of the I-QOL for the SCI population.

Floor/Ceiling Effect

There were no ceiling effects for I-QOL total and subscales, and a small floor effect for the Social Embarrassment domain (8.9% subjects had lowest score).

(Schurch et al. 2007)

Reviewers

Dr. Vanessa Noonan, Christie Chan, Gita Manhas

Date Last Updated

20 July 2020

Schurch B, Denys P, Kozma CM, Reese PR, Slaton T, Barron R. Reliability and Validity of the Incontinence Quality of Life Questionnaire in Patients with Neurogenic Urinary Incontinence. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2007; 88: 646-52.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17466735

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