A comparison of the psychometric properties of the Mini-Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Rhinitis Control Assessment Test

Background: The relationships between validated quality of life tools and control tools have not been explored for rhinitis. This study was designed to determine relationships of the Mini-Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniRQLQ) and the Rhinitis Control Assessment Test (RCAT) to each other regarding content and predictive abilities. Methods: Participants were adult members of a large integrated care organization with an encounter diagnosis of rhinitis in the prior 2 years. Patients completed mailed questionnaires at baseline that contained the MiniRQLQ and the RCAT and three follow-up questionnaires that contained those tools as well as questions regarding missed work or school because of rhinitis and frequency and effectiveness of medications used for rhinitis. Medications dispensed during the follow-up year were obtained from computerized pharmacy records. Results of allergy tests were retrieved for patients seen in the Allergy Department. Results: The final cohort included 1051 patients. Baseline RCAT scores were strongly correlated with baseline MiniRQLQ scores in both allergic (r = -0.80) and nonallergic (r = -0.84) patients. Baseline MiniRQLQ and RCAT scores were significantly related to patient reports of missed school/work, medication use, and effectiveness over the next 3 months and to dispensing during the following year of total and some individual rhinitis medications. Test-retest reliability, responsiveness, and a preliminary minimal important difference (>2.5) were shown for the RCAT, using the MiniRQLQ as an anchor. Conclusion: The MiniRQLQ and RCAT are strongly related to each other and both predict subsequent rhinitis outcomes. Determining the comparative usefulness of these tools will require further study. (Am J Rhinol Allergy 26, 127-133, 2012; doi: 10.2500/ajra.2012.26.3744)