VAS raw change (VASfollow-up—VASbaseline) and percentage
change scores [(raw change/VASbaseline)×100] change
scores were calculated [22].
And the secondary outcomes examined included anxiety
status that was measured using the Korean version
of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (K-BAI) [23] and QoL that
was scored using the Korean version of the World Health
Organization QoL Assessment, Brief Form (K-WHOQOL
BREF) [24,25]. BAI [23,26] consists of 21 anxiety symptoms,
with respondents being asked to indicate the extent
to which they were bothered by each item “during
the past week, including today”. Responses are scored on
a 0—3 scale ranging from “not at all” to “severely”, giving
a score range of 0—63. As a recommended scoring and
interpretation system [23,26] for the BAI, 10—18 points
are classified as mild-moderate anxiety, 19—29 points as
moderate-severe, and 30—63 points as severe anxiety.
The WHOQOL BREF [24,25,27] contains 26 items
grouped into five domains of overall QoL including general
health, physical health, psychological health, social
relationships, and environment. It is based on a Likerttype
scale of 1 to 5. The highest score possible is 130.
Lower scores indicate a lower QoL and higher scores indicate
a higher QoL.
All patients were evaluated at the baseline and immediately
after 2-week hydrotherapy.