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Cited by 55Cardiovascular Syncope and Autonomic DisordersHealth Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of LifeBalance, Gait, and Falls Prevention

The development and preliminary validation of a scale measuring the impact of syncope on quality of life

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Rose, M. S., Koshman, M.-L., Ritchie, D., Sheldon, R.·2009·Europace
DOI 10.1093/europace/eup106
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Abstract

AIMS: To develop a brief syncope-specific measure of health-related quality of life. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and fourteen patients with syncope completed a 48-item questionnaire derived from a generic measure of quality of life (the EQ-5D), the Syncope Functional Status Questionnaire, a depression scale (the CES-D) and historical symptoms. From these, clinical impact methodology was used to derive 12-item Impact of Syncope on Quality of Life (ISQL). The ISQL correlated with the number of syncopal spells in the previous year (r = 0.35), self-perceived health status (r = -0.55), the three scores from the SFSQ: [impairment (r = 0.77), fear and worry (r = 0.72), syncope dysfunction (r = 0.82), and depression (r = 0.62)], illustrating its convergent validity with these concepts. Known group differences were evident between patients who exhibited reduced quality of life on the EQ-5D and those who did not. There was no significant correlation between ISQL score and age or gender. ISQL score correlated better with the frequency of spells in the previous year than years prior to the previous year. CONCLUSION: The ISQL is a brief valid measure of the impact of syncope on quality of life. It measures impairment, fear, depression, and physical limitations, and correlates with recent syncope frequency.

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  • There is consistent evidence that syncope is associated with worse function on multiple domains of quality of life, such as perceptions of low overall physical health; perception of mental health, including increased fear, somatization, depression, and anxiety; and impairment in activities of daily living, such as driving, working, and attending school.

    “There is consistent evidence that syncope is associated with worse function on multiple domains of QoL, such as perceptions of low overall physical health (725,730,734); perception of mental health, including increased fear, somatization, depression, and anxiety (725,727,728,731,734); and impairment in activities of daily living, such as driving, working, and attending school.”

    From 2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope (2017) · cites this paper as [730]

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

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  • Quality of life is reduced with recurrent syncope.

    “QoL is reduced with recurrent syncope (725–733), as demonstrated in studies that compared patients with and without syncope (727,731).”

    From 2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope (2017) · cites this paper as [730]

  • Those with more frequent syncope have reported poorer quality of life.

    “Those with more frequent syncope have reported poorer QoL (726,729,730,732).”

    From 2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope (2017) · cites this paper as [730]

  • Quality of life is reduced with recurrent syncope, as demonstrated in studies that compared patients with and without syncope.

    “QoL is reduced with recurrent syncope (397–405), as demonstrated in studies that compared patients with and without syncope (399,405).”

    From 2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope: Executive Summary (2017) · cites this paper as [402]

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 23

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Rose, M. S., Koshman, M.-L., Ritchie, D., & Sheldon, R.
Affiliations
University of Calgary (CA)
Corresponding author
Rose, M. S.
ORCID
Venue
Europace
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2009-09-24
Volume
11
Issue
10
Pages
1369-1374
ISSN
  • 1099-5129 (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-2092
DOI
10.1093/europace/eup106
OpenAlex
W2134598841
Cited by
55
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
FWCI
2.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • EP Europace (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Cardiovascular Syncope and Autonomic Disorders
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
Keywords
syncope, health-related quality of life, scale development, psychometric validation, fear and worry, depression, physical impairment, EQ-5D
MeSH terms
Adult, Canada, Female, Health Status Indicators, Humans, Male, Pilot Projects, Psychometrics, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sensitivity and Specificity, Syncope, Reproducibility of Results

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