title: Assessing somatic, psychosocial, and spiritual distress of patients with advanced cancer: development of the Advanced Cancer Patients' Distress Scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  For adequate distress assessment in palliative care, we developed a screening evaluation tool.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proven methods of scale construction led to a 53-item pilot form of the Advanced Cancer Patients' Distress Scale (ACPDS). We used Hornheide Questionnaire (HQ), Palliative Outcome Scale (POS), and Minimal Documentation System (MIDOS) for validation. Advanced cancer patients (N = 168) from 3 centers for palliative medicine (aged 23-89, 51% female) filled out the questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With a principal component analysis (PCA), we extracted 5 distress scales (emotional reactions/physical restrictions, communication deficits, negative social reactions, pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms). Internal consistencies varied between medium (.52) and very good (.88). Positive validity scores were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the ACPDS may help to identify needs for palliative care interventions and enhance the quality of palliative care.
authors: Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany. fischbec@uni-mainz.de
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Fischbeck
authors: Bernd-Oliver
authors: BO
authors: Maier
authors: Ulrike
authors: U
authors: Reinholz
authors: Cornelia
authors: C
authors: Nehring
authors: Rainer
authors: R
authors: Schwab
authors: Manfred E
authors: ME
authors: Beutel
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Weber
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult