Meaningful Change for Neuro-QoL™

Estimates for the magnitude of change that corresponds to “important” change are published.

 

Many terms for change (e.g., clinically important change, minimally important change, minimally perceptible change) are used. Many methods are used for estimating important change. Two methods are shown here.

Conditional Minimal Detectable Change

Conditional minimal detectable change (cMDC) values were estimated for 14 Neuro-QoL measures. Estimates vary based upon the patient’s symptom/dysfunction severity. Index tables and an interactive Excel workbook that calculates cMDCs are available. (Kozlowski)

Idio Scale Judgment

In 2017, Cook and colleagues published on a new method, idio scale judgment, for estimating the amount of Neuro-QoL Fatigue score change that is meaningful for people with multiple sclerosis.

  • Improvement
    • Mean = -3.5 points (SD=2.6)
    • 50th percentile = -3.3
    • 75th percentile = -5.1
    • 90th percentile = -7.3
  • Worsening
    • Mean = 3.2 points (SD=2.0)
    • 50th percentile = 3.2
    • 75th percentile = 4.5
    • 90th percentile = 5.6