Skip to main content

Table 1 Variability within and across measurement tools

From: Review of menopausal palpitations measures

Measure

Article n (citations)

Item

Recall period

Response options

Likerta

Yes/nob

Standardized Questionnaires (n = 85)c

 Menopause Rating Scale

45c,d [31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40, 42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76]

Heart discomfort

 

5

 

5 [77,78,79,80,81]

Heart discomfort

1 week to 1 month

5

 

1 [82]

Heart discomfort

  

√

1 [83]

Heart discomfort

1 month

 

√

5 [84,85,86,87,88]

Heart discomfort/palpitation

 

5

 

1 [89]

Heart discomfort/palpitation

1 month

 

√

7 [90,91,92,93,94,95,96]

Heart discomfort (unusual awareness of heartbeat, heart skipping, heart racing, tightness)

 

5

 

2 [97, 98]

Heart discomfort/cardiac symptoms

 

5

 

1 [99]

Cardiac symptoms (palpitations, racing, heartbeat, irregular beats, tightness in chest)

 

5

 

1 [100]

Cardiac

 

5

 

 Blatt-Kupperman Menopausal Index

6c [12, 44, 101,102,103,104]

Palpitations

 

4

 

1 [105]

Palpitations

   

1 [106]

Rapid heartbeat

 

3

 

 Kaczmarek menopause-specific questionnaire

2 [107, 108]

Palpitations and butterflies

  

√

 Simplified Menopause Index

1 [109]

Palpitation

   

1 [110]

Breathlessness and palpitations (I become short of breath and experience palpitations)

   

 Cardiovascular Symptom Index for Midlife Women

1 [111]

Palpitation

 

6

√

 Menopausal-specific Quality of Life

1 [112]

Heart beating quickly and heart discomfort

  

√

 Survey adapted from menopause symptom list

1 [113]

Palpitations (Heart beating quickly or strongly)

 

5

 

 Women’s Health Questionnaire

1 [114]

Tachycardia

 

4

√

Other Assessment Tools (n = 26)

 Unspecified self-administered questionnaire

4 [115,116,117,118]

Palpitation/heart palpitations

   

3 [119,120,121]

Palpitation

  

√

1 [122]

Palpitation

1 year

 

√

2 [123, 124]

Palpitation

 

4

 

1 [125]

Palpitations

1 year

4

 

1 [126]

Palpitation

 

4

 

1 [127]

Irregular heart beats

  

√

1 [128]

Tachycardia

  

√

 Interview

2 [129, 130]

Palpitations

   

1 [131]

Palpitations

1 month

 

√

1 [7]d

Palpitations

1 month

  

1 [132]

Palpitations

  

√

1 [133]

Palpitations

12 months

4 & 7e

√

1 [134]

Palpitations

2 weeks

  

1 [135]

Heart pounding (or racing)

2 weeks

 

√

1 [136]

Palpitation of heart, excitable/ anxiety

   

1 [137]

Rapid heartbeat

  

√f

 Unspecified

2 [138, 139]

Palpitations

 

4

 
  1. Blank boxes = information was not reported in articles
  2. a Likert scale column denotes number of points on scale
  3. • 7-point scale: how frequently experienced, details not specified
  4. • 6-point scale: 0 no symptom to 5 extremely severe
  5. • 5-point scale variations were 0 not present/no symptoms/absent/no complaints, 1 mild, 2 moderate, 3 severe, 4 very severe/very severe complaints; or 0.0 no symptom, 0.1–0.3 mild, 0.4–0.5 moderate, 0.6–0.7 severe, 0.8–1.0 very severe; or intensity of difficulties; • 0 none, 1 minor, 2 medium, 3 major, 4 unbearable
  6. • 4-point scale variations were: 0 to 3 severity; Absent, low, moderate, strong; or 0 no, 1 slight, 2 moderate, 3 severe; or 0 no symptom to 3 severe; mild (once in a while) to very serious (requires treatment); or 0 not at all, 1 sometimes, 2 often, 3 always; or 0 symptom did not occur, 1 mild symptom that did not interfere with usual life, 2 moderate symptom that interfered somewhat with usual activities, • 3 severe symptom that prevented routine daily activities; or Grade 1 no symptoms, 2 slight symptoms, 3 moderate symptoms, 4 severe symptoms
  7. • 3-point scale: 1 slight symptoms, limited and not bothersome; 2 moderate symptoms, distressing, required medication but did not disrupt work, could be tolerated; 3 severe symptoms, distressing, required medication, and time off work
  8. b Yes/no, presence/absence
  9. c One article used both Menopause Rating Scale and Blatt-Kupperman Menopause Index
  10. d Open-ended questions about severity
  11. e 4-point scale for distress and 7-point scale for frequency
  12. f Yes, no, and I don’t know
Back to article page

Women's Midlife Health

ISSN: 2054-2690

Contact us