[Validation of a pelvic floor questionnaire with improvement and satisfaction scales to assess symptom severity, bothersomeness and quality of life before and after pelvic floor therapy].

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to integrate and validate an additional post-treatment module including improvement and satisfaction scales to the validated German pelvic floor questionnaire.

METHODS

The questionnaire contained the domains bladder, bowel prolapse, and sexual symptoms. It was completed by 55 patients before and after specific pelvic floor rehabilitation. A post-therapy module with improvement and satisfaction scales was integrated and tested psychometrically.

RESULTS

Missing data did not exceed 4%. Improvement and satisfaction correlated significantly with bladder and bowel domain scores. Test-retest reliability showed moderate to good agreement. The questionnaire was sensitive to change with a large effect size. The improvement of bladder symptoms in 91% of the women correlated with the domain score.

CONCLUSION

The validated German pelvic floor questionnaire including a post-treatment module assesses symptoms, improvement and satisfaction in a reliable and reproducible fashion.