OBJECTIVE: To validate a parent proxy instrument to study the voice-related quality of life (VR-QOL) for the pediatric population. METHODS: The voice outcome survey (VOS) was administered to 108 caregivers of children aged 2 to 18 years, who either had a tracheotomy or had achieved surgical decannulation. The VOS was altered so that each item was addressed to the parent proxy as opposed to the child. A scoring paradigm was developed to report the scores on a range of 0 to 100. Structural properties of the instrument examined include validity, reliability, and principal component analysis. The VOS was then revised to suit the results of this analysis. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD (range) score for the pediatric VOS was 49.8 +/- 27.1 (0-100). Reliability analysis and principal component analysis supported the reduction of 1 item from the final pediatric VOS. The revised instrument demonstrated an overall Cronbach alpha value of.86. Substratification by age revealed robust Cronbach alpha values from ages 2 to 18 years. Construct validity analysis also supported statistical significance (P =.004). Principal component analysis of the revised instrument supports its internal structure and design. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric VOS is a simple, short, health status instrument designed to measure the VR-QOL in the pediatric population. Cross-sectional analysis suggests that children and adolescents with tracheotomies have a poorer VR-QOL than do those who have achieved decannulation.
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Christopher J. Hartnick (2002) studied this question.