title: Assessing the reliability and validity of the revised WCCNR stomatitis staging system for cancer therapy-induced stomatitis.
abstract: Before developing interventions for stomatitis, nurses require a simple, valid and reliable approach to staging severity. The eight-item WCCNR(R) was previously validated for chemotherapy-induced stomatitis. In this study, the validity and reliability of the WCCNR(R), a shorter three-item tool for staging stomatitis caused by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or both, was assessed. Pairs of data collectors evaluated 207 patients from 10 Canadian cancer centres. The WCCNR(R) correlated well with the MacDibbs Mouth Assessment (r = 0.44, p = 0.0002 to r = 0.54, p < 0.0001), a standardized tool for staging radiotherapy-induced stomatitis. Agreement between data collectors at five sites was acceptable (kappa = 0.75); three additional sites were close to this target. Findings indicate that the WCCNR is a valid and reasonably reliable tool for staging stomatitis due to cancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stacey
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eades
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gue
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Plummer
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Janes
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fitch
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oliver
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D002170:Canada; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013280:Stomatitis / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents