Introduction: Although erectile dysfunction (ED) affects both members of the couple, no tools exist for the detection of ED by the female partner.
Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a scale for the detection of ED, as assessed by the female partner.
Methods: Development and validation of the Female Assessment of Male Erectile dysfunction detection scale (FAME) consisted of five stages: (i) two focus group discussions conducted among female partners of ED sufferers; (ii) item construction; (iii) initial content validation to document face validity and reduce number of items; (iv) final selection of items and investigation of concurrent validity and reliability, sensitivity and specificity of the scale in 83 Spanish-speaking couples; and (v) multicenter study conducted in a group of 106 English-speaking couples. Concurrent validity was assessed using Spearman's rho correlation coefficients between FAME and clinical diagnosis, the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), and the erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-EF). Reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, and sensitivity and specificity was investigated using clinical diagnosis as the gold standard criterion.
Main outcome measures: Validity, reliability, specificity, and sensitivity of the FAME scale when correlated with SHIM, IIEF-EF, and clinical diagnosis.
Results: Qualitative analysis yielded 44 clues; 21 items demonstrated statistical significance as the best discriminating items using a t-test for independent samples. A final scale of six items was tested for validity, reliability, specificity, and sensitivity. FAME correlated significantly with clinical diagnosis (0.791, P < 0.001), the SHIM (0.788, P < 0.001), and the IIEF-EF (0.777, P < 0.001). Additional support for discriminant validity was obtained with receiver operating characteristics analysis. Cronbach's alpha was 0.941. Sensitivity was 96.1% and specificity 86.0%.
Conclusions: Accurate detection of ED in men by the female partner is possible. In this study, FAME demonstrated concurrent validity and very good reliability, as well as excellent sensitivity and specificity.