Treatment of Varicose Veins

Development of an international standard measure for the reporting of patients’ assessment of their varicose veins.

Varicose veins are a common medical condition, with approximately 25% of women and 15% of men having some form of visible varicose veins. The Health Services Research Unit at the University of Aberdeen developed and validated the Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ).

The AVVQ allows patients to self-assess the severity of their varicose veins. Current national and international guidelines now recommend that patients’ self-assessment be included in the evaluation of each case. In these self-assessments, the AVVQ is the most commonly recommended measure.

The Department of Health in England also mandated the use of the AVVQ, therefore all varicose vein patients in England are now required to complete the AVVQ before and after treatment. NHS providers are using the results from these questionnaires to assess the quality of their care, to improve their services, and for planning and commissioning of services nationwide.

University of Aberdeen research has directly impacted on clinical research with regard to measuring the effects of treatment of varicose veins

Professor Marion Campbell

Find out more

• Professor Marion Campbell's staff profile

Key publications

• Evaluating and improving health-related quality of life in patients with varicose veins. Smith JJ, Garratt AM, Guest M, Greenhalgh RM, Davies AH J Vasc Surg 1999; 30:710–719. Garratt AM, Macdonald LM, Ruta DA, Russell IT, Buckingham JK, Krukowski ZH. Towards measurement of outcome for patients with varicose veins.  Qual Health Care. 1993 Mar;2(1):5-10.

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