How well does the Canadian haemophilia Outcomes‐Kids' Life Assessment Tool (CHO‐KLAT) measure the quality of life of boys with haemophilia?

Abstract Background It is important to measure the quality of life (QoL) of boys with haemophilia, because the diagnosis has a significant impact on their lives and this impact fluctuates over time. A disease‐specific measure of QoL is required because the aspects of life that are affected by haemophilia may differ from those assessed by generic QoL measures. This paper describes the final phase of development of a disease‐specific measure of QoL for boys with haemophilia: the Canadian Haemophilia Outcomes‐Kids Life Assessment Tool (CHO‐KLAT). Procedure A 79‐item version of the CHO‐KLAT was administered to 52 children. A detailed item analysis was conducted to shorten the CHO‐KLAT. The reliability of the revised version was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. Validity was assessed by comparing it to the PedsQL and the HaemoQoL. Results The item analysis resulted in the retention of 35 strongly performing items (CHO‐KLAT 35 ). These items were aggregated into the CHO‐KLAT 35 summary score. Repeated measures reliability of the CHO‐KLAT 35 was 0.74 for children and 0.83 for parents, and the child–parent concordance was 0.75. The validity of the CHO‐KLAT 35 was confirmed by a correlation of 0.78 with the Haemo‐QoL and of 0.59 with the PedsQL. Conclusions The CHO‐KLAT 35 is a reliable and valid measure of QoL for boys with haemophilia. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2006;47:305–311. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.