Cross-cultural adaptation and patients' judgments of a question prompt list for Italian-speaking cancer patients

Facilitating patient-oncologist communication in advanced treatment-resistant cancer: development and feasibility testing of a question prompt list

BACKGROUND

Patients' expectations regarding medical information in advanced stages of cancer are still poorly understood. Tailoring information to advanced cancer patients is a subtle task. We developed a question prompt list (QPL) that serves as a patient-oncologist communication aid in France.

METHODS

A four-step sequential mixed method involving patients with luminal B/triple-negative metastatic breast cancer or metastatic uveal melanoma (N = 110) and patients' partners, oncologists, and researchers (N = 18) was used. In-depth interviews and questionnaires focused on the information needed at the disclosure of metastasis or resistance to treatment (step 1), the formulation of questions and procedures for use in oncology visits (steps 2 and 3), and the acceptability of the final tool (stage 4).

RESULTS

The initial version of the QPL consists of 17 questions covering 5 themes (disease, current treatment, other options, living with cancer, prognosis). In step 2, 13 questions were added, 2 were merged, and 5 were deleted; a short form (4 questions) and recommendations for clinical use were proposed. In step 3, 2 questions were merged, and 6 were deleted. Four oncologists (27% of the target population) took part in step 4, and the QPL was discussed with 20 patients, revealing a positive appraisal.

CONCLUSION

We provide a rigorously developed, relevant, concise, and acceptable question prompt list for clinical application in the advanced cancer care setting in France. Further research needs to assess whether this tool actually facilitates oncologist-patient communication and improves satisfaction with care and health outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study is listed on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04118062) and registered under identification n° IRRID "International Registered Report Identifier": DERR1-10.2196/26414.

Question prompt lists to improve communication between cancer patients and healthcare professionals

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This literature review sets out to summarize knowledge on the impact of question prompt lists (QPLs) on patient-physician communication in oncology and to provide an account of current research on the development, adaptation, and implementation of this type of communication tool.

RECENT FINDINGS

Provided with a QPL, patients seem to ask more questions, in particular on sensitive issues like those around the end-of-life period and they recall the information provided better. There is a need to adapt QPLs, taking account of divergences in attitudes towards illness, participation in decision-making, and discussions about the illness prognosis across cultures. QPLs may also need to be tailored to specific concerns of patients at the different stages in the care trajectory and to the particularities of each cancer type. These adaptations contribute to the effectiveness of the tool because they make it possible to tailor it to the challenges and constraints experienced in clinical practice.

SUMMARY

QPLs are designed to enhance patients' communication with their physicians. Further research is required to develop QPLs suited to each cultural and clinical setting, involving health professionals so as to facilitate the implementation of these tools in routine practice.

Developing a question prompt list for the oncology setting: A scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of existing methods used to develop a Question Prompt List (QPL) for an oncology setting.

METHODS

We conducted a search of the literature published between 1999 and 2019 in five online databases followed by a hand search, and extracted data on the methods used to develop a QPL.

RESULTS

A total of 21 studies were included. The review shows differences in the development of older QPLs (1999-2009) and current QPLs (2010-2019). However, most QPLs were developed using interviews or focus groups with patients and an expert session to review or adapt the QPL. Health professionals, patients, and researchers were included in nearly all the studies.

CONCLUSION

To develop a QPL, it is important to combine several information sources and at least to involve health professionals, patients, and researchers in the development process. Review or evaluation steps can improve the appropriateness and acceptance of a QPL.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Further research is needed to define the type of target population for new QPLs and to develop a framework for their development.

Developing country-specific questions about end-of-life care for nursing home residents with advanced dementia using the nominal group technique with family caregivers

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to develop question prompt lists (QPLs) for family caregivers of nursing home residents with advanced dementia in the context of a study involving Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and to explore cross-national differences. QPLs can encourage family caregivers to ask questions about their relative's end-of-life care.

METHODS

We used nominal group methods to create country-specific QPLs. Family caregivers read an information booklet about end-of-life care for people with dementia, and generated questions to ask healthcare professionals. They also selected questions from a shortlist. We analyzed and compared the QPLs using content analysis.

RESULTS

Four to 20 family caregivers per country were involved. QPLs ranged from 15 to 24 questions. A quarter (24%) of the questions appeared in more than one country's QPL. One question was included in all QPLs: "Can you tell me more about palliative care in dementia?".

CONCLUSION

Family caregivers have many questions about dementia palliative care, but the local context may influence which questions specifically. Local end-user input is thus important to customize QPLs.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Prompts for family caregivers should attend to the unique information preferences among different countries. Further research is needed to evaluate the QPLs' use.

Helping Patients Communicate With Oncologists When Cancer Treatment Resistance Occurs to Develop, Test, and Implement a Patient Communication Aid: Sequential Collaborative Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

Most cancer-related deaths result from disseminated diseases that develop resistance to anticancer treatments. Inappropriate communication in this challenging situation may result in unmet patient information and support needs. Patient communication aids such as question prompt lists (QPLs) may help.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to develop and pilot-test a specific QPL in the following two contrasting clinical contexts in France after cancer resistance has developed: triple-negative and luminal B metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM).

METHODS

A sequential study design with a mixed methods collaborative approach will be applied. The first step aims to build a specific QPL. Step 1a will explore oncologist-patient communication issues from oncology professionals' interviews (n=20 approximately). Step 1b will appraise information and support needs experienced by patients with MBC or MUM both quantitatively (n=80) and qualitatively (n=40 approximately). These data will be used to develop and pilot-test a QPL specific to patients with cancer experiencing initial or acquired resistance to treatment. We expect to obtain a core QPL that comprises questions and concerns commonly expressed by patients with resistant cancer and is complemented by specific issues for either MBC or MUM cancer sites. In step 1c, 2 focus groups of patients with any type of metastatic cancer (n=4) and health care professionals (n=4) will be conducted to revise the content of a preliminary QPL and elaborate an acceptable and feasible clinical implementation. In step 1d, the content of the QPL version 1 and implementation guidance will be validated using a Delphi process. Step 2 will pilot-test the QPL version 1 in real practice with patients with MBC or MUM (n=80). Clinical utility will be assessed by comparing responses to questionnaires administered in step 1b (QPL-naive historical control group) and step 2 (QPL intervention group).

RESULTS

This study received grants in March and December 2019 and was approved by the French national ethics committee in July 2019. As of October 2021, interviews with oncology professionals have been conducted and analyzed (N=26 to reach saturation), and 39 and 27 patients with MBC and MUM, respectively, have been recruited.

CONCLUSIONS

A clinically and culturally tailored QPL is expected to facilitate patients' participation in consultations, improve oncologists' responses to patients' information and support needs, and thus foster patients' psychological adjustment to the diagnosis and follow-up of cancer resistance to treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04118062; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04118062.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/26414.

The Question-prompt list (QPL): Why it is needed in the Indian oncology setting?

BACKGROUND

In India, caregivers are an integral part of the illness experience, especially in cancer, to the extent that they can become proxy decision-makers for the patient. Further, owing to acute resource constraints in the Indian healthcare system, it may be difficult for oncologists to assess and elicit questions from each patient/caregiver. Consequently, there is a need to address these unique aspects of oncology care in India to improve patient outcomes and understanding of their illness and treatment. This can be achieved through a Question Prompt List (QPL), a checklist used by care recipients during medical consultations.

RECENT FINDINGS

This narrative review will first introduce research on the development and effectiveness of the QPL, and then it will highlight current gaps in oncology care in India and explore how the QPL may aid in closing these gaps. A literature search of the empirical research focused on the development, feasibility and acceptability of the QPL in oncology settings was conducted. The final review included 40 articles pertaining to QPL research. Additionally, psycho-oncology research in India centered on information needs and experiences was reviewed. Current Indian psycho-oncology research reports patients' want to be actively involved in their cancer care and a need for more illness information. However, a high demand on physicians' resources and the family caregivers' interference can be barriers to meeting patients' information/communication needs. International research demonstrates that a QPL helps structure and decrease consultation time, improves patient satisfaction with care, and improves the quality of communication during medical encounters.

CONCLUSION

QPLs for Indian patients and caregivers may focus on the scope of medical consultations to address patient needs while influencing the course and content of the patient-caregiver-physician interactions. Further, it can address the resource constraints in Indian oncology care settings, thus reducing the physician's burden.

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Attribution Questionnaire for stigma towards disability pension applicants for use among psychiatrists and general practitioners in Sweden

Background

This study aimed to culturally translate the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ) to the Swedish language and examine the reliability and validity of the new Swedish version to measure stigma towards disability pension applicants in the Swedish context among psychiatrists and general practitioners.

Methods

The AQ was translated from the original English version into Swedish using the recommended guidelines for cultural translation of questionnaires. Steps included forward/back-translation, use of expert committee and pretesting. Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine internal consistency and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the responsibility model of stigma compared to the original English version.

Results

1,414 physicians completed the questionnaire (23.6%). Cultural translation resulted in many modifications to the original questionnaire to increase the external validity. Internal reliability of the AQ Swedish version (AQ-S) was 0.733 and is considered acceptable. Pity and Segregation-coercion sub-scales showed limited consistency. SEM findings show that the responsibility model of stigma is an acceptable fit for the Swedish setting.

Conclusion

Findings show that the AQ-S is comparable to the other versions of the AQ and is a reliable measure to assess and monitor stigma among physicians in the Swedish setting. Our study shows that cultural translation does not significantly impact the validity of the questionnaire.

The reporting checklist for public versions of guidelines: RIGHT-PVG

BACKGROUND

Public or patient versions of guidelines (PVGs) are derivative documents that "translate" recommendations and their rationale from clinical guidelines for health professionals into a more easily understandable and usable format for patients and the public. PVGs from different groups and organizations vary considerably in terms of quality of their reporting. In order to address this issue, we aimed to develop a reporting checklist for developers of PVGs and other potential users.

METHODS

First, we collected a list of potential items through reviewing a sample of PVGs, existing guidance for developing and reporting PVGs or other similar evidence-based patient tools, as well as qualitative studies on original studies of patients' needs about the content and/or reporting of information in PVGs or similar evidence-based patient tools. Second, we conducted a two-round Delphi consultation to determine the level of consensus on the items to be included in the final reporting checklist. Third, we invited two external reviewers to provide comments on the checklist.

RESULTS

We generated the initial list of 45 reporting items based on a review of a sample of 30 PVGs, four PVG guidance documents, and 46 relevant studies. After the two-round Delphi consultation, we formed a checklist of 17 items grouped under 12 topics for reporting PVGs.

CONCLUSION

The RIGHT-PVG reporting checklist provides an international consensus on the important criteria for reporting PVGs.

Effectiveness of the HuCare Quality Improvement Strategy on health-related quality of life in patients with cancer: study protocol of a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial (HuCare2 study)

INTRODUCTION

Our group previously demonstrated the feasibility of the HuCare Quality Improvement Strategy (HQIS), aimed at integrating into practice six psychosocial interventions recommended by international guidelines. This trial will assess whether the introduction of the strategy in oncology wards improves patient's health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Multicentre, incomplete stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial, conducted in three clusters of five centres each, in three equally spaced time epochs. The study also includes an initial epoch when none of the centres are exposed to the intervention, and a final epoch when all centres will have implemented the strategy. The intervention is applied at a cluster level, and assessed at an individual level with cross-sectional model. A total of 720 patients who received a cancer diagnosis in the previous 2 months and about to start medical treatment will be enrolled. The primary aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the HQIS versus standard care in terms of improvement of at least one of two domains (emotional and social functions) of HRQoL using the EORTC QLQ-C30 (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 items) questionnaire, at baseline and at 3 months. This outcome was chosen because patients with cancer generally exhibit low HRQoL, particularly at certain stages of care, and because it allows to assess the strategy's impact as perceived by patients themselves. The HQIS comprises three phases: (1) clinician training-to improve communication-relational skills and instruct on the project; (2) centre support-four on-site visits by experts of the project team, aimed to boost motivation, help with context analysis and identification of solutions; (3) implementation of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) recommendations at the centre.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics committee review approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of Parma. Results will be disseminated at conferences, and in peer-reviewed and professional journals intended for policymakers and managers.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03008993; Pre-results.

Shared decision making in Italy: An updated revision of the current situation

The aim of this paper is to update the previous review on the state of patient and public participation in healthcare in Italy. Policymakers consider patient involvement an important aspect in health care decisions and encourage patients to actively participate in the clinical interaction. Nevertheless, the term shared decision making (SDM) is still not clearly defined. Patient associations promote patient participation in health care decisions. Several experts attended the latest consensus conference about patient engagement to reach a consensus on the definition of SDM. Research regarding SDM in Italy continues to increase with 17 articles published between 2012 and 2017. Researchers have assessed the variables associated with patient involvement and explored the use of the SDM approach in different medical settings. Despite the dedicated SDM initiative, researchers in Italy recognize room for improvement. Work is needed to reach a common language regarding SDM and its mechanisms to implement this approach at the clinical level.

A review of question prompt lists used in the oncology setting with comparison to the Patient Concerns Inventory

A question prompt list (QPL) is a simple and inexpensive communication tool used to facilitate patient participation in medical consultations. The QPL is composed of a structured list of questions and has been shown to be an effective way of helping ensure patients' individual information needs are appropriately met. This intervention has been investigated in a variety of settings but not specifically head and neck cancer (HNC). The aim of this paper was to perform a narrative review of literature reporting the use of a QPL for oncology patients and to draw comparison to the Patient Concerns Inventory (PCI-HN). The databases Scopus, PubMed and MEDLINE were searched using the key terms 'question prompt list', 'question prompt sheet', 'cancer' and 'oncology'. Of 98 articles hand searched, 30 of which were found to meet all inclusion criteria, and described in a tabulated summary. The studies concluded that the QPL was an effective intervention, enabling active patient participation in medical consultations. The PCI-HN is specific for HNC and differs from many QPLs, which are more general cancer tools. The QPL approach should prove to be a useful intervention for HNC sufferers, however further research into the clinical utility is required.

Development of an inter-professional screening instrument for cancer patients' education process

AIM

The aim of this paper is to describe the development of an inter-professional screening instrument for cancer patients' cognitive resources, knowledge expectations and inter-professional collaboration within patient education.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Four empirical datasets during 2012-2014 were analyzed in order to identify main categories, subcategories and items for inter-professional screening instrument.

FINDINGS

Our inter-professional screening instrument integrates the critical moments of cancer patient education and the knowledge expectation types obtained from patient datasets to assessment of patients' cognitive resources, knowledge expectations and comprehension; and intra; and inter-professional.

Feasibility of a quality improvement strategy integrating psychosocial care into 28 medical cancer centers (HuCare project)

PURPOSE

This study examines the development and feasibility of a quality improvement strategy for the translation of evidence-based psychosocial care into clinical practice.

METHODS

The project involved all staff (oncologists, psychologists, and nurses) of the participating centers. Recommendations concerned: improvement of clinician communication skills; use of a patient question prompt list; assignment of a specialist nurse to each patient; screening for psychological distress and social needs; opportunity to attend a Point of Information and Support. The implementation strategy hinged on context analysis and problem solving. Four to six visits were held in each center by the project team to assist staff in identifying obstacles, finding solutions, and strengthening motivation. The primary variable was the adherence percentage to the recommendations (proportion of subjects receiving each intervention). The number of centers that failed to reach the objective was also reported (adherence percentage <75%).

RESULTS

Twenty-seven of twenty-eight centers completed the study. Lack of resources was the most commonly perceived barrier preimplementation. Five-hundred-forty-five clinicians were actively involved in the project and completed training. The adherence percentage for each recommendation was greater than 85% except for the question prompt list (78%; 95% CI, 73-83%), where seven centers did not reach the objective.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate that evidence-based interventions to improve the psychosocial care of people with cancer can be implemented in a diverse range of oncology wards. This requires the involvement and motivation of the entire staff of the ward, support by an expert team, and promotion by policymakers.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the stroke action test for Italian--speaking people

Background

Assessing the level of public stroke awareness is a prerequisite for development of community educational campaigns aimed at reducing prehospital delay of stroke patients. The Stroke Action Test (STAT) is a validated instrument specifically developed in the United States with the objective to assess the public’s readiness to respond to stroke. Our purpose was to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the original version of STAT to be applied to the Italian population.

Methods

The process of cross-cultural adaptation has been performed according to guidelines, intended for questionnaires of self-report health status measures, following five steps: forward translation, synthesis, back translation, approval by an Expert Committee and test of the pre-final version. For this last step, 31 adults were asked to rate each item in terms of adequacy of content, clarity of wording and usefulness, according to a 3-point scale. The final version has been administered to a sample of 202 volunteers to assess its acceptability and reliability in terms of the internal consistency.

Results

The pre-final version of the STAT was developed taking into accounts few and minimal discrepancies between the two back translations and the original version of the instrument. Most items were judged as adequate, easy to understand and useful, according to the frequency of high scores (>50 %) given by the adaptation sample. As for further testing of the adapted final version, completeness of item response was very good. Distribution of scores ranged from 0 to 100 %, without any floor or ceiling effect, with a percentage of the lowest scoring of 1.5 % for the 28-item test and 2.5 % for the 21-item test and a percentage of the highest scoring of 1 % for both tests. Internal consistency was high for both the 28-item and 21-item tests (Cronbach alpha = 0.85 and 0.84, respectively).

Conclusions

The process used to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the questionnaire was successful. The Italian version of STAT demonstrated good acceptability and psychometric properties and is now available to assess stroke awareness in Italian people.

Do parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) receive adequate information about the disorder and its treatments? A qualitative investigation

BACKGROUND

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent pediatric neurodevelopmental condition, commonly treated using pharmacological agents such as stimulant medicines. The use of these agents remains contentious, placing parents in a difficult position when deciding to initiate and/or continue their child's treatment. Parents refer to a range of information sources to assist with their treatment decision-making. This qualitative study aimed to investigate 1) parents' ADHD-related knowledge pre- and post-diagnosis, 2) the information sources accessed by parents, 3) whether parents' information needs were met post-diagnosis, and 4) parents' views about strategies to meet their information needs.

METHODS

Three focus groups (n=16 parents), each lasting 1.0-1.5 hours were conducted. Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using the framework method, coded, and categorized into themes.

RESULTS

Generally, parents had limited ADHD-related knowledge prior to their child's diagnosis and perceived prescription medicines indicated for ADHD in a negative context. Parents reported improved knowledge after their child's diagnosis; however, they expressed dissatisfaction with information that they accessed, which was often technical and not tailored to their child's needs. Verbal information sought from health care professionals was viewed to be reliable but generally medicine-focused and not necessarily comprehensive. Parents identified a need for concise, tailored information about ADHD, the medicines used for its treatment, and changes to their child's medication needs with age. They also expressed a desire for increased availability of support groups and tools to assist them in sourcing information from health care professionals during consultations, such as question prompt lists.

CONCLUSION

There are gaps in parents' knowledge about ADHD and its treatment, and an expressed need for tailored and reliable information. Future research needs to focus on providing parents with avenues to access concise, reliable, and relevant information and support in order to empower them to make the best treatment decision for their child.

A question prompt list for patients with advanced cancer in the final year of life: development and cross-cultural evaluation

BACKGROUND

Clinicians and patients find prognosis and end-of-life care discussions challenging. Misunderstanding one's prognosis can contribute to poor decision-making and end-of-life quality of life. A question prompt list (booklet of questions patients can ask clinicians) targeting these issues may help overcome communication barriers. None exists for end-of-life discussions outside the palliative care setting.

AIM

To develop/pilot a question prompt list facilitating discussion/planning of end-of-life care for oncology patients with advanced cancer from Australia and the United States and to explore acceptability, perceived benefits/challenges of using the question prompt list, suggestions for improvements and the necessity of country-specific adaptations.

DESIGN

An expert panel developed a question prompt list targeting prognosis and end-of-life issues. Australian/US semi-structured interviews and one focus group elicited feedback about the question prompt list. Transcribed data were analysed using qualitative methods.

SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-four patients with advanced cancer (15 Australian/19 US) and 13 health professionals treating such patients (7 Australian/6 US) from two Australian and one US cancer centre participated.

RESULTS

Most endorsed the entire question prompt list, though a minority queried the utility/appropriateness of some questions. Analysis identified four global themes: (1) reinforcement of known benefits of question prompt lists, (2) appraisal of content and suggestions for further developments, (3) perceived benefits and challenges in using the question prompt list and (4) contrasts in Australian/US feedback. These contrasts necessitated distinct Australian/US final versions of the question prompt list.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants endorsed the question prompt list as acceptable and useful. Feedback resulted in two distinct versions of the question prompt list, accommodating differences between Australian and US approaches to end-of-life discussions, highlighting the appropriateness of tailoring communication aides to individual populations.