Correlation of PROMIS scales and clinical measures among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with and without exacerbations

Purpose: The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS^®) initiative was developed to advance the methodology of PROs applicable to chronic diseases. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive chronic disease associated with poor health. This study was designed to examine the correlation of PROMIS health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scales and clinical measures among COPD patients. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted comparing patients who were stable (n = 100) with those currently experiencing a COPD exacerbation (n = 85). All PROMIS measures for adults available at the time of the study (2008), disease-targeted and other HRQOL instruments, health literacy, percent predicted FEV1, and a 6-min walk distance were assessed when patients were considered clinically stable. Results: Stable COPD patients reported significantly (p ≤ 0.05) better health-related quality of life on PROMIS domains than patients experiencing an exacerbation. PROMIS domain scores were significantly (p ≤ 0.01) correlated with each of legacy measures. Six-min walk scores were most highly correlated with the PROMIS physical function domain scores (r = 0.53) followed by the fatigue (r = −0.26), social (r = 0.24) and to a lesser extent depression (r = −0.23), and anxiety (r = −0.22) domain scores. Percent predicted FEV1 score was significantly associated with PROMIS physical function scores (r = 0.27). Conclusion: This study provides support for the validity of the PROMIS measures in COPD patients.