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Validation and practical implementation of a multidisciplinary cancer distress screening questionnaire
K Kirchheiner1, A Czajka, E Ponocny-Seliger
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria. kathrin.kirchheiner@meduniwien.ac.at
Summary
A new multidisciplinary screening questionnaire effectively identifies cancer patients with psychosocial needs during radiotherapy. This tool shows good patient acceptance and reliable data, improving care for distressed patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Psychosocial Care
- Clinical Screening
Background:
- Identifying psychosocial needs in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy is crucial.
- Existing screening tools often face implementation challenges in clinical settings.
- A need exists for a practical, multidisciplinary screening approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compile and evaluate a multidisciplinary screening questionnaire for cancer patients during radiotherapy.
- To assess the effectiveness and patient acceptance of the implemented screening tool.
Main Methods:
- Developed a questionnaire combining subscales from validated assessment tools.
- Conducted a pilot study to assess qualitative patient acceptance.
- Analyzed screening data for implementation effectiveness and representativity.
- Validated psychological subscales using external criteria and Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency.
Main Results:
- The questionnaire demonstrated good qualitative patient acceptance.
- Achieved an overall response rate of 75% with randomly distributed missing data.
- Psychological subscales showed high sensitivity (89% and 78%) in identifying distressed patients.
- Internal consistency for psychological subscales was 0.843 and 0.617.
Conclusions:
- The multidisciplinary screening questionnaire is well-accepted by patients and yields reliable, representative data.
- The tool effectively identifies highly distressed patients with excellent sensitivity.
- Successful implementation in clinical routine is feasible, offering benefits to patients and healthcare teams, despite requiring additional resources.