Evidence map›Paper›PMID 16137329›Full record

ArticleHealth and quality of life outcomes2005

Subjective assessments of comorbidity correlate with quality of life health outcomes: initial validation of a comorbidity assessment instrument.

Elizabeth A Bayliss, Jennifer L Ellis, John F Steiner

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Health and quality of life outcomes, 2005. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 154 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
154citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

154 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. How to assess multimorbidity: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2025
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  13. Functional Comorbidity Index in chronic rhinosinusitis.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2016
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94 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Elizabeth A BaylissKaiser Permanente, PO Box 378066, Denver, CO 80237-8066, USA. Elizabeth.Bayliss@kp.org
Jennifer L Ellis
John F Steiner

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInterventions to improve care for persons with chronic medical conditions often use quality of life (QOL) outcomes. These outcomes may be affected by coexisting (comorbid) chronic conditions as well as the index condition of interest. A subjective measure of comorbidity that incorporates an assessment of disease severity may be particularly useful for assessing comorbidity for these investigations.

methodsA survey including a list of 25 common chronic conditions was administered to a population of HMO members age 65 or older. Disease burden (comorbidity) was defined as the number of self-identified comorbid conditions weighted by the degree (from 1 to 5) to which each interfered with their daily activities. We calculated sensitivities and specificities relative to chart review for each condition. We correlated self-reported disease burden, relative to two other well-known comorbidity measures (the Charlson Comorbidity Index and the RxRisk score) and chart review, with our primary and secondary QOL outcomes of interest: general health status, physical functioning, depression screen and self-efficacy.

results156 respondents reported an average of 5.9 chronic conditions. Median sensitivity and specificity relative to chart review were 75% and 92% respectively. QOL outcomes correlated most strongly with disease burden, followed by number of conditions by chart review, the Charlson Comorbidity Index and the RxRisk score.

conclusionSelf-report appears to provide a reasonable estimate of comorbidity. For certain QOL assessments, self-reported disease burden may provide a more accurate estimate of comorbidity than existing measures that use different methodologies, and that were originally validated against other outcomes. Investigators adjusting for comorbidity in studies using QOL outcomes may wish to consider using subjective comorbidity measures that incorporate disease severity.

Indexed as

ComorbidityQuality of LifeSickness Impact ProfileAgedAged, 80 and overChronic DiseaseFemaleHealth Maintenance OrganizationsHumansMaleMedical Records Systems, ComputerizedRisk AssessmentSelf ConceptSeverity of Illness IndexSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited States

Identifiers

PMID16137329
PMCPMC1208932

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.