Singh Amandeep, Ranjan Piyush, Kaur Tanveer, Rawat Nandini, Sarkar Siddharth, Kaloiya Gauri Shanker, Sahu Anamika, Deb Koushik Sinha, Baitha Upendra
Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IND.
Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IND.
Cureus. 2024 Mar 11;16(3):e55956. doi: 10.7759/cureus.55956. eCollection 2024 Mar.
Introduction Patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) account for a substantial proportion of patients visiting the outpatient department. Diagnosis of MUPS is a challenge for most physicians. An accurate diagnosis relies on obtaining a detailed history from patients regarding the nature of their symptoms, their onset, and any associated aggravating or relieving factors. This study aims to develop a symptom scale for Indian patients with MUPS. Methods The study had a mixed-method study design. Phase 1 involved designing the questionnaire using qualitative techniques, such as literature reviews, focus-group discussions, expert evaluation, and pre-testing of a Hindi and English language Likert-rated interviewer-administered scale. In phase 2, the construct validity of the questionnaire was established using quantitative approaches among 116 patients diagnosed with MUPS. Results The final questionnaire consists of 38 items, with good internal consistency (Cronbach 𝛂 = 0.916). Confirmation sampling adequacy for factor analysis was done using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (KMO value = 0.792) and Bartlett's test of sphericity (p < 0.001). The newly developed scale showed a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.568 (p < 0.001) with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-15 scores. Conclusion A reliable and valid tool has been developed to assess patients' symptoms with MUPS in English and Hindi languages. This questionnaire can be used for assessment, screening, and diagnostic purposes as well as to chart longitudinal changes in patients with MUPS.
患有医学上无法解释的身体症状（MUPS）的患者在门诊就诊患者中占相当大的比例。对大多数医生来说，MUPS的诊断是一项挑战。准确的诊断依赖于从患者那里获取关于其症状性质、症状发作以及任何相关加重或缓解因素的详细病史。本研究旨在为患有MUPS的印度患者开发一种症状量表。方法：本研究采用混合方法研究设计。第一阶段涉及使用定性技术设计问卷，如文献综述、焦点小组讨论、专家评估以及对印地语和英语李克特评分的访谈者 administered 量表进行预测试。在第二阶段，在116名被诊断为MUPS的患者中使用定量方法确定问卷的结构效度。结果：最终问卷由38个项目组成，具有良好的内部一致性（Cronbach α = 0.916）。使用Kaiser - Meyer - Olkin检验（KMO值 = 0.792）和Bartlett球形检验（p < 0.001）对因子分析的确认抽样充分性进行了检验。新开发的量表与患者健康问卷（PHQ）- 15评分的Pearson相关系数为0.568（p < 0.001）。结论：已经开发出一种可靠且有效的工具，用于用英语和印地语评估患有MUPS的患者的症状。该问卷可用于评估、筛查和诊断目的，以及记录MUPS患者的纵向变化。
