Validation of the Danish version of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Self-assessment Scale

Introduction: The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fatigue Self-assessment Scale (IBD-F) is a multidimensional, disease-specific questionnaire. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) took part in the development of the tool. The scale was developed in the UK and comprises 35 questions: five questions about the severity of fatigue and 30 questions about the impact of fatigue. The purpose of this study was to validate a Danish electronic version of the IBD-F in a Danish IBD population. Methods: We included IBD outpatients regardless of disease activity. They were invited to answer the IBD-F, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) and the health-related quality of life tool known as the Short Health Scale (SHS). Furthermore, we collected socio-demographic and disease data. A subsample was invited to answer the IBD-F again two weeks later. Spearman analysis was used to evaluate the correlations between the IBD-F, the MFI-20 and the SHS. Reliability was tested by intraclass coefficients. Results: A total of 325 patients were invited, and 159 patients had complete data. The IBD-F correlated well with the MFI-20 fatigue tool for almost all dimensions. The correlation with the SHS was less marked. The following variables were associated with more fatigue: female, Crohn's disease, respondent unemployed and comorbidity. The test-retest reliability was excellent. Conclusion: The Danish version of the IBD-F is a valid tool for use in Danish patients with IBD.