The prostate care questionnaire for patients (PCQ-P): reliability, validity and acceptability

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Health Services Research
• Patient Experience Measurement

Background:

• Prostate cancer patients in England report poorer care experiences compared to other cancer types.
• A standardized measure for prostate cancer patient experience is currently lacking.
• This study evaluates the Prostate Cancer Questionnaire for Patients (PCQ-P), a new instrument for assessing patient experience in prostate cancer care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability, validity, and acceptability of the PCQ-P.
• To establish a standard measure for prostate cancer patient experience.
• To assess the suitability of the PCQ-P for routine clinical practice and quality improvement.

Main Methods:

• A postal survey of 1087 prostate cancer patients across five English hospitals.
• Assessment of criterion validity using the National Centre for Social Research Shortened Questionnaire.
• Evaluation of test-retest reliability with 296 patients and qualitative interviews with 20 patients.
• Service provider acceptability assessed through feedback from four hospitals.

Main Results:

• High response rate (69.2%) with low missing data.
• Moderate to high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.63–0.80) and acceptable test-retest stability (ICC 0.57–0.73).
• Significant criterion validity findings; PCQ-P demonstrated high face validity and acceptability in patient interviews.
• Hospitals found the questionnaire useful for quality improvement initiatives.

Conclusions:

• The PCQ-P is a reliable, valid, and acceptable instrument for measuring patient experience in prostate cancer care.
• The PCQ-P is ready for implementation in routine practice, service improvement programs, and research.
• The questionnaire provides a valuable tool for enhancing the quality of care for prostate cancer patients.