Sara L Douglas1, Grant Pignatello2, Sumin Park2, Amy R Lipson2. 1. Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, School of Nursing, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44104, USA. SLD4@case.edu. 2. Case Western Reserve University, School of Nursing, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44104, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a single-item visual analog scale (VAS) to measure goals of care in patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: Data were obtained from 378 patients with diagnoses of advanced lung, gastrointestinal, or pancreatic cancer. Goal of care was measured at baseline and every 3 months until patient death or completion of the 15-month study period. A single-item VAS ranging from 0 (quality of life is all that matters) to 100 (length of life is all that matters) was used to measure patients' goals of care for all study subjects; a subsample of subjects also completed the Quality of Life-Length of Life scale which asked patients to select categories of preferences. Test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation) and construct validity (known-groups, convergent, divergent) were evaluated. RESULTS: At 9 and 12 months, the test-retest reliability for patients with stable symptoms (n = 107) was established with the ICC(1,3) = 0.81, p < .001. Known-groups (r = 0.99, p < .001), convergent (r = 0.78, p < .001), and divergent (r = .06, p = 0.24) validity all demonstrated evidence of good construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary psychometric testing for a single-item VAS that measures goals of care in a sample of patients with advanced cancer met standard requirements for reliability and validity. While further testing with a larger sample size is recommended, the tool's use in the clinical area to assess cancer patients' goals of care is appropriate. Such a tool could facilitate goals of care discussions in the clinical area.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a single-item visual analog scale (VAS) to measure goals of care in patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: Data were obtained from 378 patients with diagnoses of advanced lung, gastrointestinal, or pancreatic cancer. Goal of care was measured at baseline and every 3 months until patientdeath or completion of the 15-month study period. A single-item VAS ranging from 0 (quality of life is all that matters) to 100 (length of life is all that matters) was used to measure patients' goals of care for all study subjects; a subsample of subjects also completed the Quality of Life-Length of Life scale which asked patients to select categories of preferences. Test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation) and construct validity (known-groups, convergent, divergent) were evaluated. RESULTS: At 9 and 12 months, the test-retest reliability for patients with stable symptoms (n = 107) was established with the ICC(1,3) = 0.81, p < .001. Known-groups (r = 0.99, p < .001), convergent (r = 0.78, p < .001), and divergent (r = .06, p = 0.24) validity all demonstrated evidence of good construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary psychometric testing for a single-item VAS that measures goals of care in a sample of patients with advanced cancer met standard requirements for reliability and validity. While further testing with a larger sample size is recommended, the tool's use in the clinical area to assess cancerpatients' goals of care is appropriate. Such a tool could facilitate goals of care discussions in the clinical area.
Entities:
Keywords:
Advanced cancer; Goals of care; Instrument psychometrics; Visual analog scale
Authors: Moran Amit; Kate Hutcheson; Jhankruti Zaveri; Jan Lewin; Michael E Kupferman; Amy C Hessel; Ryan P Goepfert; G Brandon Gunn; Adam S Garden; Renata Ferraratto; C Dave Fuller; Samantha Tam; Neil D Gross Journal: Oral Oncol Date: 2019-02-16 Impact factor: 5.337