Title
Level of agreement between patient self-report and observer ratings of health-related quality of life communication in oncology
Author
Hilarius, D.L.
Kloeg, P.H.A.M.
Detmar, S.B.
Muller, M.J.
Aaronson, N.K.
TNO Preventie en Gezondheid
Publication year
2007
Abstract
Objective: To determine the level of agreement between patients and observers regarding the frequency with which health-related quality of life topics are discussed during outpatient clinical oncology visits. Methods: The sample (n = 50) consisted of a consecutive series of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Both the patients and observers used a checklist to report which HRQL topics had been discussed during the consultation. Percentage of agreement, kappa and adjust-kappa statistics were calculated. Results: The percentage agreement between patients' and observers' ratings was generally high, ranging from 74% for fatigue to 96% for sleep problems and cognitive functioning. The average percentage of agreement over the 13 HRQL topics rated was 86%. Cohen's kappa varied between 0.41 (for pain) and 0.78 (for sleep problems). Prevalence-adjusted kappa's were generally higher, ranging from 0.48 (for fatigue) to 0.92 (for sleep problems and social functioning). The average Cohen's kappa and prevalence-adjusted kappa over the 13 HRQL topics were 0.56 and 0.71, respectively. Level of agreement was not found to vary significantly as a function of patients' background characteristics. Conclusion: Oncology patients' self-reports of the HRQL-related topics discussed during outpatient chemotherapy visits are in reasonably close agreement with those provided by observers. Practice implications: Our results indicate that the patient is a legitimate source of information about the HRQL-related content of medical encounters, and thus can be used in communication studies where the collection of observational data (e.g., via audio- or videotaping) is either too costly or logistically impractical. © 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Chemicals / CAS: Antineoplastic Agents
Subject
Health
Communication research
Health-related quality of life
Level of agreement
Observer ratings
Patient self-report
Cancer center
Cancer chemotherapy
Cancer fatigue
Cancer patient
Cognition
Consultation
Demography
Observation
Observational study
Outpatient care
Prevalence
Quality of life index
Sample size
Self report
Sleep disorder
Social interaction
Statistical analysis
Adult
Aged
Ambulatory Care
Antineoplastic Agents
Attitude of Health Personnel
Attitude to Health
Communication
Data Collection
Female
Hospitals, Community
Humans
Male
Medical Oncology
Middle Aged
Neoplasms
Netherlands
Nurse-Patient Relations
Nursing Assessment
Nursing Evaluation Research
Nursing Methodology Research
Nursing Staff, Hospital
Oncologic Nursing
Quality of Life
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:cbbee883-2dd2-4509-a9a7-822d6a45513d
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2006.06.002
TNO identifier
239813
ISSN
0738-3991
Source
Patient Education and Counseling, 65 (1), 95-100
Document type
article