Evaluation of Generic Versus Condition-Specific Quality of Life Indicators for Successful Urethral Stricture Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the utility of generic health quality of life (QOL) and condition specific indicators as patient reported outcomes measures for urethral stricture surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient data were obtained from the Trauma and Urologic Reconstructive Network of Surgeons collaborative database. Patients who underwent any successful urethroplasty and completed both pre- and postoperative generic and condition-specific questionnaires were included.

RESULTS: A total of 201 patients met inclusion criteria. Urethral-stricture specific measures improved after surgery: mean LUTS score (13.1-4.0, p<0.05), Peeling curve (3.1-1.7, p < 0.05), and overall interference of urinary symptoms on life (3.0-1.6, p < 0.05). Mean overall health status visual analog scale (74.2-80.0, p < 0.05) and generic health QOL EQ-5D index scores (0.90-0.95, p < 0.05) also improved; however, individual EQ-5D measures assessing mobility, self-care, and activity level did not change. EQ-5D measures for pain/discomfort (1.48-1.23, p < 0.05) and anxiety/depression (1.33-1.21, p < 0.05) improved, but not to the same extent as stricture-specific measures. More patients reported improvement in condition-specific urethra/penis pain and bladder pain compared to improvement in generic EQ-5D pain/discomfort (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Generic health QOL indicators are less meaningful in the assessment of urethral stricture surgery and should be replaced with condition-specific outcomes measures. It is important to ensure that appropriate condition-specific outcomes measures are utilized as patient reported outcomes measures become more prevalent in medicine and potentially become utilized to evaluate surgeon outcomes and determine surgeon reimbursement.