A poverty-related quality of life questionnaire can help to detect health inequalities in emergency departments.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to develop a self-administered, multidimensional, poverty-related quality of life (PQoL) questionnaire for individuals seeking care in emergency departments (EDs): the PQoL-17.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

The development of the PQoL was undertaken in three steps: item generation, item reduction, and validation. The content of the PQoL was derived from 80 interviews with patients seeking care in EDs. Using item response and classical test theories, item reduction was performed in 3 EDs on 300 patients and validation was completed in 10 EDs on 619 patients.

RESULTS

The PQoL contains 17 items describing seven dimensions (self-esteem/vitality, psychological well-being, relationships with family, relationships with friends, autonomy, physical well-being/access to care, and future perception). The seven-factor structure accounted for 75.1% of the total variance. This model showed a good fit (indices from the LISREL model: root mean square error of approximation, 0.055; comparative fit index, 0.97; general fit index, 0.96; standardized root mean square residual, 0.058). Each item achieved the 0.40 standard for item internal consistency, and Cronbach α coefficients were >0.70. Significant associations with socioeconomic and clinical indicators showed good discriminant and external validity. Infit statistics ranged from 0.82 to 1.16.

CONCLUSION

The PQoL-17 presents satisfactory psychometric properties and can be completed quickly, thereby fulfilling the goal of brevity sought in EDs.