BMC emergency medicine
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BMC emergency medicine · May 2012
Test-retest reliability of multidimensional dyspnea profile recall ratings in the emergency department: a prospective, longitudinal study.
Dyspnea is among the most common reasons for emergency department (ED) visits by patients with cardiopulmonary disease who are commonly asked to recall the symptoms that prompted them to come to the ED. The reliability of recalled dyspnea has not been systematically investigated in ED patients. ⋯ During an ED visit, recall MDP ratings of dyspnea at the time participants decided to seek care in the ED are reliable and sufficiently stable, both for individual items and the two domains, that a time lag between arrival and questionnaire administration does not critically affect recall of perceptual and emotional characteristics immediately prior to the visit. However, test-retest reliability of recall over a 4- to 6-week interval is poor for individual items and significantly attenuated for the two domains.