Quality of life after pulmonary embolism: validation of the PEmb‐QoL Questionnaire

Summary. Background: Even though quality of life (QoL) has become a key component of medical care, there is no instrument available that specifically measures QoL after pulmonary embolism (PE). Recently, the Pulmonary Embolism Quality of Life (PEmb‐QoL) Questionnaire has been developed to address this gap. Objective: To evaluate the validity of the PEmb‐QoL questionnaire. Methods: We distributed the PEmb‐QoL questionnaire and the Short Form‐36 (SF‐36) questionnaire twice among consecutive subjects with a history of objectively confirmed acute PE. Internal consistency reliability, test‐retest reliability, convergent validity and criterion validity, and correlations between the PEmb‐QoL and clinical patient characteristics were assessed using standard‐scale construction techniques. Results: Ninety participants completed the questionnaires twice. Internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach’s α 0.62–0.94), as well as test‐retest reliability (intra‐class correlation coefficients: 0.78–0.94). Furthermore, correlation between the PEmb‐QoL questionnaire and the SF‐36 questionnaire supported convergent validity. Age, obesity, cardiopulmonary comorbidity, centrally located PE and a family history of venous thromboembolism were shown to be independent determinants of disease‐specific QoL. Conclusion: The PEmb‐QoL questionnaire is a reliable instrument to specifically assess QoL following PE, which is helpful in the identification of patients with decreased QoL following acute PE.