Development and psychometric evaluation of the chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy assessment tool

• Published in: Cancer nursing Vol. 34; no. 4; p. E10
• Main Authors: Tofthagen, Cindy S, McMillan, Susan C, Kip, Kevin E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2011
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Nursing Assessment - methods; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - chemically induced; Psychometrics; Qualitative Research; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1538-9804
• DOI: 10.1097/NCC.0b013e31820251de

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) can be a debilitating and dose-limiting adverse effect of chemotherapy. Comprehensive self-report tools for CIPN are needed for research and clinical practice. The purpose of this psychometric study was to describe the development and evaluate the reliability and validity of a new self-report tool designed to measure CIPN, the Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool (CIPNAT). One hundred sixty-seven patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy with paclitaxel, docetaxel, cisplatin, or oxaliplatin completed the CIPNAT. Content validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency reliability were assessed. Content validity index was very acceptable at 0.95. Convergent validity data were provided by correlation with a measure of the same concept (r = 0.83, P < .001), and differences between contrasting groups (t = 7.66, P < .001) provided evidence of discriminant validity. High test-retest correlations (r = 0.92, P < .001), Cronbach α (α = .95), and significant item-to-total correlations ranging from 0.38 to 0.70 provided evidence of reliability. Results provide evidence of the validity and reliability of the CIPNAT, which can be used for comprehensive assessment of CIPN. Use of the CIPNAT in research may lead to a better understanding of CIPN and guide nurses in developing and testing of interventions to relieve suffering and enhance quality of life for patients with CIPN.