Pilot study for the Psychometric Validation of the Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral to Care (SPARC) in Korean Cancer Patients

Validation of the Spanish translation Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC-Sp) at the Hospital Universitario San Jose of Popayan, Colombia

OBJECTIVES

We determined the validity and reliability of the Spanish translation Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC-Sp) questionnaire to identify the palliative care (PC) needs of patients with chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in Colombia.

METHODS

We developed a cross-sectional observational study of scale assessment in adults with the aim of determining the validity and reliability of the SPARC-Sp questionnaire to identify the PC needs of patients with NCDs receiving outpatient or inpatient care at the Hospital Universitario San Jose of Popayan - ESE, Colombia, from 2021 to 2022.

RESULTS

We applied a questionnaire consisting of demographic, clinical data, and SPARC-Sp to 507 participants. The constructed model explained 75% of the variance with an adequate fit according to the root mean square residual (0.03), the comparative fit index (0.98), and acceptable reliability (McDonald's total omega 0.4-0.9). Opportunities for improvement are the reformulation and inclusion of particular words to improve the representativeness and clarity of the domains of communication and information, religious, and spiritual issues.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

This research represents the first validation of SPARC in Spanish. SPARC-Sp is an instrument that allows initiating a conversation of the patient's main needs through a systematic assessment of the patients' main needs. Its psychometric validation demonstrated good fit and acceptable reliability.

Translation and linguistic validation of the Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC) to Colombian Spanish

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to translate and linguistically and cross-culturally validate Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC) in Spanish for Colombia (SPARC-Sp).

METHODS

The linguistic validation of SPARC followed a standard methodology. We conducted focus groups to assess the comprehensibility and feasibility. The acceptability was assessed using a survey study with potential users.

RESULTS

The comprehensibility assessment showed that additional adjustments to those made during the translation-back-translation process were required to apply SPARC-Sp in rural and low-schooled populations. It also identified the need for alternative administration mechanisms for illiterate people. The acceptability survey showed that potential users found SPARC-Sp as not only acceptable but also highly desirable. However, they desired to expand the number of items in all domains.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

Beyond the semantic and conceptual validity attained through the back-translation process, actual cultural validity could be acquired thanks to the comprehensibility tests. Although extending the instrument is something potential users would like to do, it would make it less feasible to utilize the SPARC-Sp in clinical settings. Nonetheless, the instrument might benefit from the inclusion of a domain that evaluates challenges encountered when accessing the health-care system. For communities lacking literacy, alternate administration methods must also be considered.

Validation of traditional Chinese version of Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care Questionnaire in Taiwanese patients

BACKGROUND

Holistic health care considers all aspects of patient care, namely the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social aspects. To assess which patient needs are unmet, a screening questionnaire covering the four aforementioned aspects is required. Therefore, the Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC), a multidimensional, self-reported questionnaire designed to screen patients regardless of diagnosis, was developed. This study developed a translated and validated traditional Chinese version of the SPARC for patients in Taiwan.

METHODS

The original English version of the SPARC was translated into a traditional Chinese version (SPARC-T) through forward-backward translation. Semistructured debriefing interviews were conducted with participants to evaluate the SPARC-T. The reliability and validity of the SPARC-T were assessed through Cronbach's alpha coefficients and a correlation analysis conducted using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) questionnaire.

RESULTS

Fifty-three patients were enrolled from our hospital: 22 had cancer but the majority had nonmalignant chronic conditions. About internal consistency, the Cronbach's alpha values for all domains of the SPARC-T were favorable. A correlation analysis of the SPARC-T and FACT-G revealed significant correlations for the domains of physical symptoms, independence and activity, family and social issues, sleep, and treatment issues; no significant correlation was identified for the "psychological issues" domain.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that the SPARC-T is an effective tool for screening Mandarin-speaking patients. Thus, it can be used in hospitals to holistically screen and identify the needs of patients to ensure they can receive appropriate professional support and holistic health care.

Co-Designing a Strategy for Implementing the SPARC Holistic Needs Assessment Tool in the Colombian Clinical Context

In Colombia, timely access to palliative care (PC) is hampered by difficulties in identifying and referring to necessary services. The SPARC (Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care) instrument provides a holistic needs assessment to improve referrals for different forms of care. SPARC was recently validated in Colombian Spanish (SPARC-Sp) but has not yet been implemented in clinical practice. We undertook workshops that aimed to co-design an implementation strategy to inform a future trial testing SPARC-Sp in the Colombian healthcare system. Workshop attendees included patients, informal caregivers, healthcare professionals, volunteers, administrative staff and decision makers. Discussions within the workshops refined implementation and dissemination strategies for SPARC-Sp in practical scenarios. Results include the need for education, clarification and demystification of PC and the lack of time and skills of professionals to identify patients' needs. Attendees recognized SPARC-Sp as a valuable tool for highlighting patients' concerns, whose adaptations are needed in Colombia to address the low literacy of the population and specificities of the healthcare system. We proposed local adaptations to SPARC-Sp and produced five educational videos aimed at health professionals, patients and caregivers to strengthen understanding of holistic needs in PC while building a strategy for SPARC-Sp implementation in the Colombian context.

Outpatient palliative care referral system (PCRS) for patients with advanced cancer: an impact evaluation protocol

INTRODUCTION

Early palliative care (PC) in the clinical pathway of advanced cancer patients improves symptom control, quality of life and has a positive impact on overall quality of care. At present, standardised criteria for appropriate referral for early PC in oncology care are lacking. The aim of this project is to develop a set of standardised referral criteria and procedures to implement appropriate early PC for advanced cancer patients (the palliative care referral system, PCRS) and test its impact on user perception of quality of care received, on patient quality of life and on the use of healthcare resources.

SETTING

Selected oncology clinics and PC outpatient clinic.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A scoping literature review and an expert consultation through a nominal group technique will be used to revise existing referral tools and to develop a new one, the PCRS. 25 patients will be enrolled in a pilot study to assess feasibility of the implementation of PCRS; 10 interviews with patients and healthcare professionals will be carried out to evaluate applicability.A pretest-post-test quasiexperimental study involving 150 patients before implementation of the PCRS and 150 patients after implementation will be carried out.Patient satisfaction with care received, quality of life and use of resources, and caregiver satisfaction with care will also be assessed to explore the impact of the intervention.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval for the study has been granted by the Institutional Review board of the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori; approval reference INT201/19.Results will be disseminated through open access publications and through scientific communication presented at national and international conferences.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04936568.

Unmet needs related to the quality of life of advanced cancer patients in Korea: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

It has recently been emphasized that the unmet needs of cancer patients should be evaluated more holistically, for example, by exploring caregivers' perspectives and cross cultural differences. This study explored additional domains or items of unmet needs among Korean cancer patients in reference to the Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral to Care (SPARC).

METHODS

We conducted four focus group discussions (FGDs) with 15 cancer patients, following a semi-structured format to elicit participants' health perceptions, comments on SPARC, and opinions on the roles of medical professionals to improve the health-related quality of life of cancer patients. We analyzed the verbatim transcripts using a content analysis method.

RESULTS

The following themes were derived: living as a cancer patient, striving to overcome cancer, changing attitudes toward life after the cancer diagnosis, and ways to live a better life as a cancer patient. The participants asserted the significance of providing adequate treatment information that is easily understood by cancer patients during the conversation between patients and medical professionals. Besides the physical symptoms identified by SPARC, the participants struggled with numbness in their hands and feet and hair loss. Korean cancer patients prominently wished to avoid burdening their family or others in their daily life. They considered the improvement of health behaviors, such as diet and exercise, as part of the treatment, which was not limited to drugs. Furthermore, it was essential to evaluate the value of cancer patients' lives, as they desired to be helpful members of their families and society.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified additional domains and items of unmet needs of Korean cancer patients and broadened the understanding of unmet needs among cancer patients.