Equity and Organization in Waiting Lines for Kidney Stone Surgery: Validation of Prioritization Score

Abstract Purpose: The SCQ-Score is a prioritization tool for patients awaiting kidney stone surgery. Our aim was to validate the SCQ-Score in Brazil and assess its capacity to classify patient priority in a manner similar to that of endourologists. Methods: The external validity of the SCQ score was evaluated through an online survey of Brazilian urologists and residents. Calibration from this survey was compared to the original author's using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The SCQ’s ability to assess priorities such as an endourologist was tested by comparing a waiting list of fictional patients, organized once by SCQ-Score and once by expert opinion. These two patient arrangements were compared using the ICC. Results: The online survey obtained 151 valid responses, and the overall calibration of the original authors demonstrated a good correlation with the Brazilian scenario (ICC 0.503; CI 95% [0.33, 0.74]). The correlation between the waiting lines generated by expert consensus and the Brazilian SCQ score was excellent (ICC 0.740; CI [0.34–0.92]). Conclusion: The validation of the SCQ score provides a valuable prioritization tool for the waiting line of kidney stone surgery in Brazil.