Therapy outcome measure for inducible laryngeal obstruction and chronic cough: development and testing of reliability and validity

A Therapy Outcome Measure (TOM) is a practical tool for measuring outcomes of care, providing a quick and simple measure which can be used over time in a routine clinical setting. The TOM allows therapists to reflect on the dimensions of impairment, activity, participation, and well-being on an 11-point ordinal scale. Currently there are no therapy outcome measures for Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction (ILO) and Chronic Cough (CC). The purpose of this study was to develop two TOMs, one for ILO (TOM ILO) and one for CC (TOM CC), and to test the reliability and validity of each. Respiratory professionals working with patients with ILO and CC from eight UK locations received training in the use of TOM ILO and TOM CC. Face validity, inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability were tested and analysed. TOM ILO and TOM CC both have strong face validity. The TOM ILO had strong intra-rater reliability and inter-rater reliability. The TOM CC had poor intra-rater but strong inter-rater reliability. TOM ILO and TOM CC have readily been adapted by those who received training. TOM ILO and TOM CC can now be used as a validated outcome measure.