Cross-Cultural Application of the Korean Version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 15-Palliative Care

• Published in: Journal of pain and symptom management Vol. 41; no. 2; pp. 478 - 484
• Main Authors: Shin, Dong Wook, MD, MBA, Choi, Ji Eun, RN, PhD, Miyashita, Mitsunori, RN, PhD, Choi, Jin Young, MPH, DrPH, Kang, Jina, MEA, Baik, Young Ji, BS, Mo, Ha Na, BS, Park, Jeanno, MD, PhD, Kim, Hea-Ja, RN, Park, Eun Cheol, MD, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.02.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Aged; Anesthesia & Perioperative Care; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Cross-Sectional Studies; EORTC-C15-PAL; Europe; Female; Humans; Korean; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - psychology; Pain; Pain Medicine; Palliative care; Palliative Care - psychology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychometric properties; Psychometrics; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Reproducibility of Results; Republic of Korea; Scaling; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Validation; Asia; Korea; Europe; Republic of Korea; Validation; Korean; cancer; EORTC-C15-PAL; palliative care; Questionnaire; Palliative care; Malignant tumor; Cancer; Quality of life; European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer
• ISSN: 0885-3924; 1873-6513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2010.05.009

Abstract Context The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 15-Palliative Care (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL) is a shortened version of the EORTC QLQ-C30, developed for use in advanced cancer patients. Objectives We evaluated the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL to determine if this tool can be used to evaluate Korean patients with cancer who receive palliative care. Methods A multicenter, cross-sectional survey was performed in palliative care units and hospices in Korea from September to October 2009. A total of 102 patients with cancer completed the questionnaires that included the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL. Results The compliance rate was high, with the missing rate for each item ranging from 0% to 7.8% (mean 3.1%). A multitrait scaling analysis revealed good convergent and discriminant validity, with only three scaling errors. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.65 to 0.89. The questionnaire discriminated among patient subgroups with different clinical profiles (e.g., performance status and degree of oral intake), thereby demonstrating the clinical validity of this tool. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the Korean version of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL is a reliable and valid instrument with regard to its psychometric properties. This tool is suitable for measuring quality of life, particularly with regard to physical aspects, in Korean cancer patients who receive palliative care.