Evaluation of a Flushing ASsessment Tool (FAST) in Subjects Receiving Niacin Extended-release Plus Aspirin

This study was designed to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the FAST questionnaire. The FAST is a self-administered questionnaire, completed using a hand-held electronic data capture device (LogPad e-diary). Subjects recorded the start and stop date and time of each flushing event, the presence and severity of individual flushing symptoms (redness, warmth, tingling and/or itching), and an overall assessment of their flushing experience. Evaluation of the psychometric characteristics of the FAST was based on 3 primary data analyses: 1 ) test-retest reliability based on the intraclass correlation coefficient; 2) construct validity based on Spearman correlation coefficients; and 3) responsiveness based on changes in FAST scores. The mean and maximum severity of flushing events, as measured by the FAST, were the primary variables evaluated in each of the 3 data analyses mentioned above. Psychometric analyses were performed blinded to treatment group assignment.