The Korean version of the Symptom Experience Index: A psychometric study

Designing and Using Surveys in Nursing Research: A Contemporary Discussion

This commentary summarizes the contemporary design and use of surveys or questionnaires in nursing science, particularly in light of recent reporting guidelines to standardize and improve the quality of survey studies in healthcare research. The benefits, risks, and limitations of these types of data collection tools are also briefly discussed.

Knowing in Nurses' Belief and Attitude about Patient Activation: A Validation of the Korean Clinician Support for Patient Activation Measure Using Rasch Analysis

BACKGROUND

Patient engagement is considered a critical factor in improving healthcare delivery. This study aimed to test the Korean version of the Clinician Support for Patient Activation Measure (CS-PAM) using Rasch analysis, and to explore nurses' beliefs about patient self-management.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, exploratory study design was employed. The staff nurses who were recruited from six hospitals were requested to complete the Korean CS-PAM. Their responses were subsequently subjected to Rasch analysis to validate the Korean CS-PAM. The CS-PAM was paraphrased into Korean using the standardized forward-backward translation method.

RESULTS

The internal consistency of the scale had good Cronbach's alpha value. For all items, the infit and outfit statistics fell well within the acceptable range of 0.5-1.5. This measure formed a unidimensional Guttman-like scale that explained 54.7% of the variance.

CONCLUSIONS

The Korean version of the CS-PAM showed good psychometric properties and appeared to be consistent with the meaning of the original CS-PAM. However, the items have a somewhat different ranking order when compared to the English and Dutch versions. The instrument might be useful for identifying the supportive beliefs and attitudes of nurses or healthcare providers in order to improve patient activation in healthcare.

Translation and evaluation of Chinese version of the symptom experience index

Symptom assessment is crucial for patient care through the entire disease trajectory. Patients often experience multiple symptoms concurrently. The symptom experience index is reliable and valid as an instrument developed in the USA for assessing multiple symptoms and distress. The aim of the study was to translate and evaluate the Chinese version of the instrument in healthy adults and oncology patients. This is a psychometric study with a cross-sectional design. To ensure the semantic equivalence and content validity, an integrative translation method was employed to translate the English version into Chinese language. The participants were recruited during 2014 from a large university, two university-affiliated hospitals and a community in Changchun, China. The Chinese version demonstrated high internal consistency, test-retest reliability and content validity. Construct validity was supported by factor analysis and significant differences of symptom experience scores between healthy and oncology groups. Participants' acceptance of the Chinese version and its ability to collect adequate data among Chinese population provided evidence for using this version among Chinese population. This study provided initial evidence to support the psychometric properties of the Chinese version. The Chinese version demonstrated adequate reliability and validity to assess multiple symptom experience by Chinese populations.

Psychometric properties of the Breast Cancer and Lymphedema Symptom Experience Index: The Chinese version

PURPOSE

To translate the Breast Cancer and Lymphedema Symptom Experience Index (BCLE-SEI) into Chinese language and evaluate its psychometric properties among breast cancer survivors with and without lymphedema in China.

METHODS

The BCLE-SEI was translated from English to Chinese language using an integrative translation method. The Chinese version was then evaluated for its psychometric properties using a comparison-group and test-retest method. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 219 breast cancer survivors with and without lymphedema in Beijing, China. Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability were conducted to assess the reliability; discriminant validity, criterion-related validity and exploratory factor analysis were examined to assess the validity of the instrument.

RESULTS

No semantic modifications to items were needed in terms of comparability of language and similarity of interpretability. Feedback on the pretest of the Chinese version by 15 Chinese breast cancer patients resulted in one item modification. The Chinese version of the instrument demonstrated excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.930-0.967) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.572-0.705, p < 0.001, n = 34). A significant difference was observed between the lymphedema group and non-lymphedema group (z = -7.127, p < 0.001). The criterion-related validity was supported by negative correlation with the Short-Form Health Survey (physical component summary, r = -0.612; mental component summary, r = -0.540). Factor analysis for symptom occurrence revealed 5 factors, which explained 66.1% of the total sample variance; 5 factors were also identified in symptom distress, which explained 70.6% of the total sample variance.

CONCLUSIONS

The Chinese BCLE-SEI is a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate breast cancer-related lymphedema symptom experience for Chinese breast cancer survivors.