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Translation of Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form 34 (SCNS-SF34) into Italian and cultural validation study

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Abstract

Background

The Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS) is one of the most comprehensive tools used in the clinical trials to measure the perceived unmet supportive care needs of cancer patients. The original 59-item instrument was developed and validated in English using rigorous methods. A short version containing 34 items was subsequently developed by the same authors (SCNS-SF34) and has since been translated into numerous other languages and validated, confirming its psychometrically robust properties. Cross-cultural validity is, in fact, important for international comparisons of self-reported measures. As an Italian form of the questionnaire does not exist at present, we decided to test the linguistic equivalence and cultural validity of a translated version of the SCNS-SF34 in a target population.

Methods

The adaptation process was performed in accordance with Beaton’s guidelines by a dedicated research team in collaboration with patient representatives.

Results

The Italian questionnaire maintained the construct validity of the original version and was easy to understand and use.

Conclusions

Preliminary results indicate that the SCNS-SF34 is feasible in an Italian population. Further research is ongoing at our institute to assess its psychometric properties in a larger case series and in different care settings.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the original authors of the SCNS-SF34, Allison Boyes and Alix Hal, for authorizing the use of the questionnaire, thus making our study possible. We also thank the members of the Con-Tatto Patient Committee for their invaluable contribution and all the patients who accepted to take part in the pretest study. Special acknowledgements go to key patient representatives Daniela Gagliardi and Claudia Benedetti for attending all the research group meetings.

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest to declare for this manuscript. The authors have full control of primary data and agree to allow the journal to review their data if requested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola, Italy

    Anita Zeneli, Elena Donati, Grainne Tierney, Stefania Pasa, Maria Alejandra Berardi & Marco Maltoni

  2. Cancer Prevention Unit, AUSL, Romagna, Italy

    Elisa Fabbri

Authors
  1. Anita Zeneli
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  2. Elisa Fabbri
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  3. Elena Donati
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  4. Grainne Tierney
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  5. Stefania Pasa
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  6. Maria Alejandra Berardi
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  7. Marco Maltoni
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Correspondence to Anita Zeneli.

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Zeneli, A., Fabbri, E., Donati, E. et al. Translation of Supportive Care Needs Survey Short Form 34 (SCNS-SF34) into Italian and cultural validation study. Support Care Cancer 24, 843–848 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2852-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2852-0

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