Exacerbation-free weeks as a novel outcome measure in research on exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Borgijink, X (Xandra) (2015) Exacerbation-free weeks as a novel outcome measure in research on exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. thesis, Medicine.

Text BorgijinkX.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (873kB)

Abstract

Background. The impact of exacerbations on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) should not only be measured by exacerbation frequency, because this outcome measure has got some important limitations. An alternatively formulated, more continuously measured outcome measure like exacerbation-free weeks must be considered. This study assessed the relationship between exacerbation frequency and exacerbation-free weeks, and their association with health related quality of life (hrQoL). Methods. In this study a secondary analysis was conducted of two prospective studies that consisted of a secondary care and a primary care dataset. Exacerbation frequency and exacerbation-free weeks were explored and their relationship was tested with Pearson’s correlations. Relationship of the two outcome measures with hrQoL was tested in the primary care dataset using Pearson’s correlations and linear standard regression analyses. Furthermore, mean hrQoL scores were compared between medium and high frequent exacerbators and few and many exacerbation-free weeks and statistically tested with an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results. Data of 77 participants of the secondary care and 138 participants of the primary care dataset were used in the analyses. In both datasets a poor to moderate Pearson’s correlation with exacerbation-free weeks was found for medium and high frequent exacerbators. A moderate to strong correlation was found for infrequent exacerbators. Exacerbation-free weeks accounted for a higher, although moderate, Pearson’s correlation with hrQoL and a factor 2 greater proportion of explained variance of hrQoL than exacerbation frequency. Furthermore this study showed a more realistic trend in hrQoL scores between exacerbationfree week subgroups than exacerbation frequency subgroups, although statistical significant differences were not found. Conclusion. It seems that the outcome measure exacerbation-free weeks represents the impact of exacerbations better than exacerbation frequency does, especially in frequent exacerbators. In conclusion, for COPD research and clinical practice, exacerbation-free weeks may be a more informative and precise outcome measure in determining the impact of exacerbations on the burden of patients daily life than exacerbation frequency.

Item Type:	Thesis (Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Kocks, Janwillem (UMCG)
Supervisor name:	Schermer, Tjard and Bischoff, Erik and Boer, Lonneke and Department of primary and community care, Radboudumc
Faculty:	Medical Sciences
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2020 11:04
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2020 11:04
URI:	https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2367

Actions (login required)

View Item