Reliability and validity of the International Prostate Symptom Score in a Malaysian population

Objective To validate the English version of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) in patients with and without urinary symptoms in a Malaysian population. Patients and methods Validity and reliability were assessed in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and in patients with no LUTS. Reliability was evaluated using the test‐retest method and internal consistency using Cronbach's α. Sensitivity to change was expressed as the effect size in the score before and after intervention in additional patients with LUTS who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Results Internal consistency was excellent; there was a high degree of internal consistency for each of the seven domains and for the total score (Cronbach's α0.60 and 0.79, respectively) in the populations studied. The test‐retest correlation coefficient for the seven domain scores was highly significant. The intra‐class correlation coefficient was high ( 0.59). There was a high level of sensitivity and specificity for the effects of treatment, with a very significant change between the seven scores domains in the treated group but not in the control group. Conclusions The IPSS is suitable, reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical change in the Malaysian population.