Development of a short version of the Barriers Questionnaire

Among the reasons that cancer pain is not controlled adequately are patient-related barriers. Patient beliefs that may contribute to poor outcome have been measured in previous research with the Barriers Questionnaire (BQ). The purpose of this study was to examine the internal consistency of a shortened version of the BQ. A sample of 217 outpatients with cancer completed a 17-item version of the scale. Factor analysis suggested two subscales, one reflecting beliefs about communication about pain and the other reflecting beliefs about the use of analgesics. Both subscales demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Beliefs did not differ between patients who had and those who had not experienced pain within the previous two weeks. Findings suggest the shortened BQ provides an internally consistent measure of two broad patient barriers to pain management.