PURPOSE/ OBJECTIVES: To develop a tool to identify patients with cancer who suffer from cachexia throughout all stages of the disease. DESIGN: Tool development study. SETTING: Oncology day care, follow-up clinics, radiotherapy, and hospice home care. SAMPLE: 90 patients with cancer (25 men and 65 women). METHODS: The Cachexia Assessment Scale (CAS) was created based on a thorough review of the literature and was tested for its psychometric properties. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Presence of cachexia. FINDINGS: Measures of reliability were determined by inter-rater, test-retest, and internal consistency reliability. Measures of validity were content validity, criterion validity, sensitivity, and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: The CAS possesses adequate levels of reliability and validity and can be used to evaluate cachexia at all stages of cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: The CAS can be used as an assessment tool for cachexia in various treatment settings.
PURPOSE/ OBJECTIVES: To develop a tool to identify patients with cancer who suffer from cachexia throughout all stages of the disease. DESIGN: Tool development study. SETTING: Oncology day care, follow-up clinics, radiotherapy, and hospice home care. SAMPLE: 90 patients with cancer (25 men and 65 women). METHODS: The Cachexia Assessment Scale (CAS) was created based on a thorough review of the literature and was tested for its psychometric properties. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Presence of cachexia. FINDINGS: Measures of reliability were determined by inter-rater, test-retest, and internal consistency reliability. Measures of validity were content validity, criterion validity, sensitivity, and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: The CAS possesses adequate levels of reliability and validity and can be used to evaluate cachexia at all stages of cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: The CAS can be used as an assessment tool for cachexia in various treatment settings.