The development of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL: A shortened questionnaire for cancer patients in palliative care

Groenvold, Mogens; Petersen, Morten Aa.; Aaronson, Neil K.; Arraras, Juan I.; Blazeby, Jane M.; Bottomley, Andrew; Fayers, Peter M.; de Graeff, Alexander; Hammerlid, Eva; Kaasa, Stein; Sprangers, Mirjam A.G.; Bjorner, Jakob B.; for the EORTC Quality of Life Group,

doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2005.06.022

« Previous Next »European Journal of Cancer
Volume 42, Issue 1 , Pages 55-64, January 2006

The development of the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL: A shortened questionnaire for cancer patients in palliative care

Mogens Groenvold
- Research Unit, Department of Palliative Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, 23, Bispebjerg Bakke, DK-2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark
- Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +45 3531 3524; fax: +45 3531 2071.
Morten Aa. Petersen
- Research Unit, Department of Palliative Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, 23, Bispebjerg Bakke, DK-2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark
Neil K. Aaronson
- Division of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Juan I. Arraras
- Department of Oncology, Hospital of Navarre, Pamplona, Spain
Jane M. Blazeby
- Clinical Sciences at South Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Andrew Bottomley
- Quality of Life Unit, EORTC Data Center, Brussels, Belgium
Peter M. Fayers
- Department of Public Health, Aberdeen University Medical School, Aberdeen, UK
- Unit of Applied Clinical Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Alexander de Graeff
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Eva Hammerlid
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
Stein Kaasa
- Unit of Applied Clinical Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Mirjam A.G. Sprangers
- Department of Medical Psychology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Jakob B. Bjorner
- National Institute of Occupational Health, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Qualitymetric Incorporated, Lincoln, RI, USA
for the EORTC Quality of Life Group

Received 15 June 2005; accepted 21 June 2005.

Abstract

This study aimed at developing a shortened version of the EORTC QLQ-C30, one of the most widely used health-related quality of life questionnaires in oncology, for palliative care research. The study included interviews with 41 patients and 66 health care professionals in palliative care to determine the appropriateness, relevance and importance of the various domains of the QLQ-C30. Item response theory methods were used to shorten scales. Patients and health care professionals rated pain, physical function, emotional function, fatigue, global health status/quality of life, nausea/vomiting, appetite, dyspnoea, constipation, and sleep as most important. Therefore, these scales/items were retained in the questionnaire. Four scales were shortened without reducing measurement precision. Important dimensions not covered by the questionnaire were identified. The resulting 15-item EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL is a ‘core questionnaire’ for palliative care. Depending on the research questions, it may be supplemented by additional items, modules or questionnaires.

Keywords: EORTC, Quality of life, Palliative care, Questionnaires, Health status, Self-assessment, Treatment outcome