Oncology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Oncology, including details on cancer, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy. | ||||||||
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Quality of life scores differed according to mode of administration in a review of three major oncology questionnaires.Cheung YB, Goh C, Thumboo J, Khoo KS, Wee J MRC Tropical Epidemiology Group, Room 305a, IDEU, ITD, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom. yinbun.cheung@lshtm.ac.uk OBJECTIVE: To assess whether scores on the three major quality-of-life questionnaires in oncology (FACT-G, FLIC, and EORTC QLQ-C30) are associated with modes of administration in a realistic clinical research setting. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A heterogeneous sample of 1,265 cancer patients was recruited in Singapore. About one-fourth of the patients chose to have the interview administered by research staff; the rest self-completed the questionnaires. Multiple regression was used to adjust for differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between patients. An equivalence margin was defined as 0.25 standard deviations. RESULTS: Apart from one exception (the EORTC QLQ-C30 global functioning scale), all scales showed higher mean values in patients who were interviewed than patients who self-administered the questionnaires. For the physical and functional well-being scales of FACT-G and the physical and social functioning scales of EORTC QLQ-C30, the differences were small and the confidence intervals fell totally within the equivalence zone. The emotional well-being score of the FACT-G was different across modes of administration and the confidence interval fell outside the equivalence zones. There was no interaction between modes of administration and respondents' education level. CONCLUSION: The physical aspect of quality-of-life is not sensitive to interviewer administration but the psychological aspect is. Statistical adjustment for some scales is recommended. Published 23 January 2006 in J Clin Epidemiol, 59(2): 185-91.
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