Better Comparison of Chronic Rhinosinusitisseverity and Quality of Lifes

Chakrabartty SN

Published on: 2023-09-23

Abstract

Background: For assessment of severity of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), clinical outcomes and quality of life (QoL) number of tools are in use which differ in dimensions, number and format of items, score ranges, psychometric qualities, etc. and are not comparable.

Objective: The paper suggests transformations of raw scores to normally distributed scores keeping the same range of transformed item scores for better and meaningful comparisons of the scales along with estimation of relationship of CRS severity and QoL scales facilitating meaningful application of statistical analysis and inferences.

Methods: Scores ofmultidimensional scale are transformed to follow normal distribution parameters of which can be estimated from the data.

Results: Normally distributedproposedscores do not change the structure of the data and offers benefits to undertake statistical analysis, testing and meaningful comparisons and better utilization of such scales.  It quantifies progress registered by one or a sample of individuals and plotting of progress path across time.  Dimensions can be ranked based on elasticity reflecting relative importance of the dimensions. Normality helps to find equivalent cut-off scores for two or more scales and also to find reliability as per theoretical definition, factorial validity avoiding criterion variable, etc.

Conclusion: Proposed scores following normal and satisfying desired properties of measurement has clear theoretical advantages. Future studies with multi-data sets involving more than one QoL scales are suggested along with issues relating to psychometric properties of the proposed transformation