Resumen de Development and validation of the QUECOMIICAT questionnaire: a tool to assess disease-related knowledge in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Francesc Casellas Jordá, Esther Navarro Escobar, Paloma Amil Buján, Claudia Barber, Laura Marín, Jordi Guardiola Capón, Eloi Espin Basany, Empar Sainz, Xavier Aldeguer Manté, Marta Gallego, Francisca Murciano, Esther Garcia Planella, Juan Manuel Mendive Arbeloa, Javier Martín de Carpi, Assumpció González Mestre
Introduction: adequate knowledge of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is essential for a successful patient-centered management of IBD. Objective: due to the scarcity of up-to-date tools for measuring IBD literacy, this single-center, prospective study aimed to develop and validate a new questionnaire to assess IBD-related knowledge. Material and methods: the study included patients followed up at the Crohn-Colitis Care Unit (UACC) at the Hospital Vall d’Hebron (Barcelona, Spain). Patients admitted to the UACC for the first time were subsequently enrolled into a standard IBD educational program. A pilot questionnaire was developed and validated in 92 IBD patients by determining the internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α test), feasibility, construct validity (correlation with the Crohn’s and Colitis Knowledge [CCKNOW] questionnaire and a knowledge visual analog scale [VAS]) and sensitivity (score change before and after a standard IBD educational program). The questionnaire, named “Qüestionari Coneixements Malaltia Inflamatòria Intestinal Catalunya” (IBD-knowledge questionnaire Catalonia) (QUECOMIICAT) was written in Spanish and had 25 items addressing six dimensions: general concepts, clinic, treatment, surgery, habits and social context. Results: the median (interquartile range) completion time was 15 (10-20) minutes and the floor and ceiling effects were 1.1% and 2.1%, respectively. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was α = 0.75. QUECOMIICAT significantly correlated with the VAS (rho = 0.34, p < 0.01) and CCKNOW questionnaires (rho = 0.74, p < 0.01). Patient knowledge significantly increased 24 hours after attending a standard IBD educational program and remained statistically significant one month later (Pearson’s test-retest correlation coefficient r = 0.81, p < 0.001). Conclusion: in conclusion, the QUECOMIICAT questionnaire is a new up-to-date tool to assess IBD-related knowledge with good feasibility and validation results for use in the routine clinical practice.
