Symptom Burden Questionnaire™ for Long COVID

The SBQ™-LC system measures symptom burden in adults (18+ years) with “post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), also known as “post COVID-19 condition” or “Long COVID”. The SBQ™-LC is composed of 17 independently functioning, unidimensional scales. Sixteen scales measure symptom burden (i.e., symptom presence, severity, or frequency) across different symptom “domains” and one scale measures symptom impact on daily life.

This modular approach means all scales can be administered to collect comprehensive symptom data or that only those scales relating to symptom domains of particular interest need be administered.

Conversion of raw scores to a common metric (0-100) allows easy comparison of scores across the different symptom domains.

The SBQ™-LC includes 16 symptom scales, each measuring a different symptom domain and a single scale measuring symptom interference.

SBQ v1.0

Symptoms (n = 123)

• Breathing (n = 7)

• Pain (n = 4)

• Circulation (n = 5)

• Fatigue (n = 4)

• Memory, Thinking, Communication (n = 10)

• Movement (n = 3)

• Sleep (n = 4)

• Ears, Nose & Throat (n = 14)

• Stomach & Digestion (n = 8)

• Muscles & Joints (n = 9)

• Mental Health (n = 9)

• Skin & Hair (n = 8)

• Vision (n = 10)

• Female Health (n = 7)

• Male Health (n = 3)

• Other Symptoms (n = 18)

 Interference (n = 8)

The SBQ™-LC was developed according to internationally recommended guidance in a multi-phase mixed-methods study. The SBQ™-LC was developed from a systematic review of Long COVID symptoms, pretesting with clinicians (n = 10), and cognitive debriefing interviews with adults with lived experience of Long COVID (n = 13). Two hundred and seventy-four adults with Long COVID field tested the SBQ™-LC via the Aparito Atom5™ platform.

A description of the development and initial validation of the SBQ™-LC has been published (Hughes et al 2022).

All requests for translation and/or electronic implementation of the SBQ™-LC have to be submitted through the ePROVIDE^TM platform of our partner Mapi Research Trust. Submitting a request for translation/electronic implementation is completely free of charge and will ensure an optimized service. It does not commit you to purchasing a questionnaire.

1. Go to Submit a request.
2. If you haven't registered yet, you'll be asked to sign up for free.
3. Complete the request form. You may attach documents if need be.

N.B.: Please note that all translations of the SBQ™-LC must be licensed prior to use. Go to the University of Birmingham’s licensing portal to request a license. Depending on license terms, translations may be subject to additional fees. We strongly recommend you understand whether additional translation fees apply before obtaining a license.

• The Symptom Burden Questionnaire for Long COVID (SBQ™-LC) is copyright of the University of Birmingham - © University of Birmingham 2021. All rights reserved.
• The SBQ™-LC system is available under license.
• A non-commercial license may be obtained free of charge for clinicians and academic researchers.
• A commercial license is available at a cost to “for profit” commercial organisations.

University of Birmingham

• Dr Sarah E Hughes
• Dr Shamil Haroon
• Dr Anuradhaa Subramanian
• Dr Christel McMullan
• Dr Lee Aiyegbusi
• Dr Grace Turner
• Professor Melanie Calvert
• Ms Anita Walker

Aparito Ltd

• Dr Elin Haf Davies
  
• Mr Chris Frost

The Symptom Burden Questionnaire™- Long COVID has been funded through independent research jointly funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (Therapies for Long COVID in nonhospitalized individuals: From symptoms, patient reported outcomes and immunology to targeted therapies (The TLC Study), (COV-LT-0013).

The views expressed on this website are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR, the Department of Health and Social Care, or UKRI.

Aiyegbusi OL, Hughes SE, Turner G, Rivera SC, McMullan C, Chandan JS, Haroon S, Price G, Davies EH, Nirantharakumar K, Sapey E, Calvert MJ; TLC Study Group. Symptoms, complications and management of long COVID: a review. J R Soc Med. 2021 Sep;114(9):428-442. doi: 10.1177/01410768211032850.

Hughes, S. E., Haroon, S., Subramanian, A., McMullan, C., Aiyegbusi, O. L., Turner, G. M., Jackson, L., Davies, E. H., Frost, C., McNamara, G., Price, G., Matthews, K., Camaradou, J., Ormerod, J., Walker, A., & Calvert, M. J. (2022). Development and validation of the Symptom Burden QuestionnaireTM for Long Covid: A Rasch analysis. MedRxiv, 2022.01.16.22269146. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.16.22269146