Reproducibility and Reliability of the Quality of Life Questionnaire in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Background: Studies have shown the impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on the patients' quality of life.Specific questionnaires enable the evaluation of relevant events.We previously developed a questionnaire to assess the quality of life of patients with AF (AFQLQ version 1), which was reviewed in this study, and new domains were added.Objective: To demonstrate the reproducibility of the AFQLQ version 2 (AFQLQ v.2), which included the domains of fatigue, illness perception and well-being.Methods: We applied 160 questionnaires (AFQLQ v.2 and SF-36) to 40 patients, at baseline and 15 days after, to measure inter-and intraobserver reproducibility.The analysis of quality of life stability was determined by test-retest, applying the Bartko intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha test.Results: The total score of the test-retest (n = 40) had an ICC of 0.98 in the AFQLQ v.2, and of 0.94 in the SF36.In assessing the intra-and interobserver reproducibility of the AFQLQ v.2, the ICC reliability was 0.98 and 0.97, respectively.The internal consistency had a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.82, compatible with good agreement of the AFQLQ v.2.Conclusion: The AFQLQ v.2 performed better than its previous version.Similarly, the domains added contributed to make it more comprehensive and robust to assess the quality of life of patients with AF. (