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Development and evaluation of the feasibility, validity, and reliability of a screening tool for determining distress and supportive care needs of adolescents and young adults with cancer in Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2022

Takatoshi Hirayama*
Affiliation:
Department of Psycho-Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Maiko Fujimori
Affiliation:
Division of Supportive Care, Survivorship and Translational Research, National Cancer Center Institute for Cancer Control, Tokyo, Japan
Yuko Yanai
Affiliation:
Department of Psycho-Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Hiroto Ishiki
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Medicine, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Akie Shindo
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Care, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Moeko Tanaka
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Welfare, Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan
Tomomi Kobayashi
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Medicine, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Rebekah Kojima
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Medicine, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Eriko Satomi
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative Medicine, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
*
Author for correspondence: Takatoshi Hirayama, Department of Psycho-Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan. E-mail: thirayam@ncc.go.jp
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Abstract

Objectives

This study aims to (i) develop a screening tool for determining distress and supportive care needs of adolescent and young adult cancer patients (AYAs) based on the NCCN's Distress Thermometer and Problem List (DTPL), (ii) evaluate its feasibility, discriminant validity, and test–retest reliability in clinical settings, and (iii) report prevalence of distress and unmet needs.

Method

In the development phase, after translation of the Japanese version of the DTPL (DTPL-J) from English into Japanese and back translation, cognitive debriefing was performed. Items in the problem list were modified to better reflect AYAs’ concerns after interviews. The modified items were reviewed and accepted unanimously by healthcare professionals. In the feasibility phase, the DTPL-J for AYAs was used in a clinical setting for 3 months. Descriptive statistics of participants’ demographics, selected items, and DT scores were calculated to report prevalence of distress and unmet needs. Response and referral rates to experts were assessed to evaluate feasibility. Some items were compared with patient demographics to assess discriminant validity. Among the patients who responded at least twice, correlations between two consecutive screenings were assessed to evaluate test–retest reliability.

Results

The DTPL-J consisted of 49 items in five categories. Of 251 patients, 232 (92.4%) were provided the DTPL-J and 230 (91.6%) responded. Based on the DT cutoff of ≥4, 69 of 230 patients (30%) had high distress. Anxiety (n = 85, 36.6%) was the most commonly selected item. Primary nurses referred 45 (21.7%) patients to an attending physician or another expert. Referral rates after DTPL-J use were higher than rates before use, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.06). The items compared were consistent with their social background. A positive correlation was observed between two responses for some items.

Significance of results

The feasibility, discriminant validity, and test–retest reliability of the tool were suggested.

Information

Type
Original Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Table 1. Interview guide

Figure 1

Table 2. Participants’ demographic characteristics (n = 40)

Figure 2

Fig. 1. Screening sheet for Japanese adolescents and young adults with cancer.

Figure 3

Table 3. Demographic characteristics of the respondents (n = 230)

Figure 4

Table 4. Items checked by patients and healthcare workers to whom they were referred

Figure 5

Table 5. Factors related to checked items to verify the validity of the screening tool