Xi Zhang, Xiaoli Wei, Meizhen Zhao, Tieying Zeng, Ye Chen
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Death preparedness plays a crucial role in improving the quality of death for advanced cancer patients. However, existing tools only assess certain aspects of death preparedness in advanced cancer patients, and there is limited evidence regarding their reliability and validity. To develop and validate a specific and comprehensive measurement tool for death preparedness in advanced cancer patients.
Methods: The scale was developed using an exploratory mixed-methods approach, which included both qualitative and quantitative stages. Grounded theory and existing literature were used to construct a death preparedness scale for advanced cancer patients. Content validity was assessed using the Delphi method. A convenience sampling approach was employed to recruit 753 advanced cancer patients from the oncology wards of six tertiary grade-A general hospitals in Hubei and Anhui provinces, China, for psychometric testing of the scale. Item selection was based on item analysis, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to extract factors, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess structural validity.
Results: The final scale consists of 4 dimensions and 22 items. These four dimensions are named "Death awareness," "Emotional response," "Hospice program," and "Reflexive care." They explain 64.010% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model showed that the 4-factor model fit the data well. The overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the scale was 0.991.
Conclusion: The death preparedness scale for advanced cancer patients that we developed demonstrates good reliability and validity, and can be used to comprehensively assess the death preparedness level of advanced cancer patients. Additionally, with the subscale scoring system, healthcare professionals can provide targeted interventions in specific areas of death preparedness for patients, thereby improving both the quality of life and quality of death for advanced cancer patients.
期刊介绍：
Psycho-Oncology is concerned with the psychological, social, behavioral, and ethical aspects of cancer. This subspeciality addresses the two major psychological dimensions of cancer: the psychological responses of patients to cancer at all stages of the disease, and that of their families and caretakers; and the psychological, behavioral and social factors that may influence the disease process. Psycho-oncology is an area of multi-disciplinary interest and has boundaries with the major specialities in oncology: the clinical disciplines (surgery, medicine, pediatrics, radiotherapy), epidemiology, immunology, endocrinology, biology, pathology, bioethics, palliative care, rehabilitation medicine, clinical trials research and decision making, as well as psychiatry and psychology.
This international journal is published twelve times a year and will consider contributions to research of clinical and theoretical interest. Topics covered are wide-ranging and relate to the psychosocial aspects of cancer and AIDS-related tumors, including: epidemiology, quality of life, palliative and supportive care, psychiatry, psychology, sociology, social work, nursing and educational issues.
Special reviews are offered from time to time. There is a section reviewing recently published books. A society news section is available for the dissemination of information relating to meetings, conferences and other society-related topics. Summary proceedings of important national and international symposia falling within the aims of the journal are presented.
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