The Rhinitis Control Scoring System: Development and Validation

Background Allergic rhinitis is a common health problem that requires regular monitoring of symptoms to provide adequate treatment. There is a need to develop rhinitis control assessment tools that are meaningful and easy to interpret by both the patient and the practitioner. Objective To develop a simple, easy-to-interpret instrument, the Rhinitis Control Scoring System (RCSS), for the assessment of rhinitis control, as a companion tool to the Asthma Control Scoring System previously validated. Methods After a literature review and based on the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma guidelines, allergic rhinitis control parameters were identified. The draft items were subjected to cognitive debriefing regarding instructions, wordings, and response options. The second version of the draft was then pretested and modified according to the results. The final draft of the RCSS, based on the intensity and frequency of symptoms, was then pilot tested with 50 subjects who had allergic rhinitis for validation of some psychometric properties. Each subject completed the RCSS in addition to other rhinitis instruments. They also had nasal peak inspiratory flow measurements. Results The RCSS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.84). There was strong criterion validity between the RCSS scores and the other instruments. The discriminant validity demonstrated as mean RCSS scores differed significantly across groups of patients with different Total Nasal Symptom Score severity (F = 58.8, p < 0.0001). Conclusions This pilot study showed that the RCSS is a simple tool to assess and quantify rhinitis control by using a percentage score This questionnaire allows the quantification of rhinitis control and, therefore, may help guide therapeutic interventions. Combined with the Asthma Control Scoring System, it can provide a global assessment of rhinitis and asthma control. Clinical Trial number NCT00967967.