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The Dartmouth COOP Charts: A simple, reliable, valid and responsive quality of life tool for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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Abstract

The negative impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on health-related quality of life (HRQL) is substantial. Measurement of HRQL is increasingly advocated in clinical practice; traditional outcome measures such as lung function are poorly responsive. However many HRQL tools are not user-friendly in the clinic setting. Hence HRQL is often neglected. The Dartmouth Cooperative Functional Assessment Charts (COOP) have the requisite attributes of a tool suitable for routine clinical practice: they are simple, reliable, quick and easy to perform and score and well accepted. We aimed to determine the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the COOP in patients with significant COPD. HRQL was assessed during a prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, 12 week cross-over interventional study of ambulatory oxygen in patients (n = 50) with COPD. Test–retest reliability of the COOP domains was only modest however it was measured over a 2 month period. Significant correlations ranging between 0.4 and 0.8 were observed between all comparable domains of the COOP and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-form Health Survey, Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. Following ambulatory oxygen significant improvements were noted in all CRQ and HAD domains. Several domains of the generic SF-36 (role emotional, social functioning, role-physical) showed significant improvements. Comparable domains of the COOP (social activities, feelings) also showed significant improvements. The COOP change in health domain improved very significantly. The COOP is a simple, reliable HRQL tool which proved valid and responsive in our study population of COPD patients and may have a valuable role in routine clinical practice.

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Abbreviations

COPD:

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

COOP:

Dartmouth Cooperative Functional Assessment Charts

CRQ:

chronic respiratory questionnaire

FEV1:

forced expiratory volume in one second

FVC:

forced vital capacity

HAD:

Hospital anxiety and depression scale

HRQL:

health-related quality of life

SF-36:

Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-form Health Survey

6MWT:

six minute walk test

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Respiratory Physician, Respiratory Services Green Lane Hospital, Green Lane West, Auckland, New Zealand

    T. Eaton, P. Young, W. Fergusson, J. E. Garrett & J. Kolbe

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  1. T. Eaton
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  2. P. Young
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  3. W. Fergusson
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  4. J. E. Garrett
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  5. J. Kolbe
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Correspondence to T. Eaton.

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Eaton, T., Young, P., Fergusson, W. et al. The Dartmouth COOP Charts: A simple, reliable, valid and responsive quality of life tool for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Qual Life Res 14, 575–585 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-004-0624-2

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