Confirmatory analysis of the 13-MD and ranking of its meta-dimensions and items.

Background: The 13-MD is a new generic instrument developed to measure general health-related quality of life (GHRQoL). This instrument considers all aspects of health (i.e., physical, mental, and social) in a balanced way. A previous study led to minor changes in the original version of the 13-MD. The objective of this study was to confirm the validity of the modified 13-MD.

Methods: Validity was assessed with recent data from the general population of Quebec, Canada. The meta-dimensions and items composing the 13-MD were also subjected to a ranking procedure, which allowed to determine the most important aspects for respondents.

Results: A total of 1337 French-speaking participants were recruited with 1099 completing the 13-MD for validation purposes and 1084 completing the ranking procedure. The 13-MD showed very satisfactory results and confirmed to be a valid instrument. The ranking of the meta-dimensions revealed that "Well-being" received the most points, followed by "Sleep and energy" and "Body functioning."

Conclusion: These results will be very useful in the continuous improvement of the 13-MD, ultimately leading to the valuation stage (i.e., development of a value set).