title: Developing a self-administered questionnaire as a guide to consultations with women treated for breast cancer.
abstract: Background. Health professionals, including general practitioners involved in followup of breast cancer patients, need to systematically assess opportunities to offer patients support with ongoing or new problems. Methods. A self-administered needs assessment questionnaire was developed with reference to a multidisciplinary team. Short, evidence-based, readable questions were emphasized, and questions were tested for face validity. The questions flowed across three domains: physical, social, and psychological. Content validity and user friendliness were assessed. Results. A final set of 30 questions was rated as easy to read and comprehend (Flesch Reading Ease score 65.8 and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 6.9). When piloted with twenty-one patients the self-administered questionnaire detected 121 items of unmet need encompassing all three domains. Conclusions. This self-administered questionnaire has the potential to assist in the holistic assessment of breast cancer patient after treatment. The clinical value of the self-administered questionnaire will need to be further tested before it can be widely adopted.
authors.affiliation: Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth,WA 6845, Australia.
authors.forename: Moyez
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiwa
authors.forename: Wendy Chan She
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Ping-Delfos
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Briffa
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sherriff
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Merriman
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nockolds
authors.forename: Liz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jardine
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Musiello
authors.forename: Glenys
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Longman