Assessing unmet supportive care needs in partners of cancer survivors: the development and evaluation of the Cancer Survivors' Partners Unmet Needs measure (CaSPUN).
BACKGROUND
Partners of cancer patients typically provide the majority of patients' emotional and physical care. Partners may be profoundly affected by the cancer and may experience ongoing supportive care needs across the survivorship continuum. Research has been restricted by a lack of psychometrically evaluated measures and in this study, a self-report measure of partners' needs was developed and empirically evaluated.


METHODS
Questionnaire items generated from a qualitative study were constructed into a 47- item unmet need measure (Cancer Survivors' Partners Unmet Needs measure, CaSPUN). The psychometric properties of the CaSPUN were evaluated in 212 partners of patients who had been diagnosed with cancer 1-11 years earlier and were currently disease-free.


RESULTS
The CaSPUN was modified to include 35 unmet need items, 6 positive change items and an open ended item. The CaSPUN demonstrates a high level of acceptability, internal consistency and construct validity, although test-retest reliability was moderate. Factor analysis identified five discrete factors: (1) Relationships, (2) Information, (3) Partner Issues, (4) Comprehensive Care and (5) Emotional Support.


CONCLUSIONS
The CaSPUN permits the identification of long-term supportive care needs in generic populations of cancer survivors' partners and will assist with the formulation of recommendations regarding required supportive care services.
Hodgkinson
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Westmead Centre for Gynecological Cancer, Westmead Hospital, NSW, Australia. khodgkinson@student.usyd.edu.au
Butow
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Hobbs
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Hunt
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D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005791:Patient Care; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors