Publications (2)1.86 Total impact
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Article: Quality of life in terminally ill cancer patients: contributors and content validity of instruments.
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ABSTRACT: Over the last few decades, improvement in the quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients has received a lot of attention in oncology. This study aims to further explore what factors terminally ill cancer patients report as influencing their QOL. Content analysis of 110 terminally ill cancer patients' answers to the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire open-ended question was performed. Negative and positive factors reported by patients as having an impact on their QOL were identified then categorized into eight domains: "physical condition and symptoms," "psychological status," "existential," "relationships and support," "quality of care," "physical environment and living facilities," "hobbies and daily activities," and "finances." The "physical condition and symptoms" and "relationships and support" domains were the two most often described by participants as important to their QOL. The results support previous work identifying domains important to the QOL of terminally ill patients with cancer, but they also identify "finances" as a new domain. Based on these findings, we suggest including "finances" in QOL instruments for the terminally ill as an experimental domain.Journal of palliative care 01/2010; 26(2):88-93. · 0.93 Impact Factor -
Article: A new tool to assess family caregivers' burden during end-of-life care.
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ABSTRACT: A significant challenge in virtually all caregiving studies is the measurement of burden, particularly within the specific context of palliative care. Existing tools in the caregiving field are not specifically designed for palliative care. A new tool, which specifically assesses family caregivers' (FC) burden within the palliative care context, was systematically developed and validated. This paper describes the steps taken to develop this tool and to examine its psychometric properties. The Caregiver's Burden Scale in End-of-Life Care (CBS-EOLC) is a 16-item self-report questionnaire. Internal consistency reliability: Cronbach's alpha = 0.95. Construct validity: Most inter-item associations were consistent with the conceptual framework that emerged from qualitative data analyses. Convergent validity: Interscale correlations: a) Zarit's Burden Interview (BI) = 0.72 (p < 0.01); b) POMS (fatigue) = 0.69 (p < 0.01); d) POMS (vigour) = -0.27 (p < 0.05). Social desirability was tested with the Crowne & Marlowe questionnaire (r = -0.24). Sensitivity: Associations were consistent with patients' functional status (ECOG) and FCs' unmet needs. The CBS-EOLC is a reliable and valid measure available in French and English.Journal of palliative care 01/2008; 24(3):151-61. · 0.93 Impact Factor
