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Use of the Needs Evaluation Questionnaire with cancer outpatients

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Abstract

Purpose

The Needs Evaluation Questionnaire (NEQ) is a self-administered instrument with 23 dichotomous items that is used both in oncology clinical practice and in research. It was originally developed for use in setting of hospitalization. The aim of the present study was to assess the factor structure of the NEQ in an outpatient oncology sample and to compare the unmet needs of inpatients and outpatients in the Italian context.

Methods

In 6 Italian oncology departments, 783 patients completed the NEQ. Patients included in the study had different primary tumor sites and were in different phases of the disease and care process. There were 195 inpatients and 588 outpatients total.

Results

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that, with outpatients, the NEQ retained the distribution of the items in five main areas previously described with inpatients. Cancer outpatients expressed high percentages of unmet needs primarily concerning “material needs” and “needs for psycho-emotional support.” Our survey also suggested that, in addition to the 23 original items, four new items could be tested for specific use with outpatients.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the importance of establishing routine assessment of unmet needs also in clinical oncology settings different from wards—such as day hospitals, ambulatory rehabilitation, or follow-up ambulatory care—where, at least in the Italian context, the rate of unmet needs is currently considerably high. The NEQ could be an effective tool for this assessment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the doctors and nurses of the oncology units involved in the study and volunteers of the Psychosynthesis Center of Firenze for their kind support of the research.

The authors also thank Dr. Joseph A. Raho for his linguistic assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical and Descriptive Epidemiology Unit, Institute for Cancer Research and Prevention-ISPO, Florence, Italy

    A. Bonacchi & G. Miccinesi

  2. Centro Studi e Ricerca Synthesis, Florence, Italy

    A. Bonacchi & A. Toccafondi

  3. Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health (NEUROFARBA)-Section of Psychology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    S. Galli, C. Primi & F. Chiesi

  4. Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    D. Lippi

  5. Centro Riabilitazione Oncologica, Institute for Cancer Research and Prevention-ISPO, Florence, Italy

    M. Muraca

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  1. A. Bonacchi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Bonacchi.

Ethics declarations

The study received approval from the Local Ethics Committees of Careggi Hospital, of AUSL 10 in Florence, of AUSL 4 in Prato, and AUSL 1 in Massa Carrara. Patients received an informational brochure about the study and were asked to provide written informed consent.

Conflict of interest

The present study received no public or private funding. The authors have full control of all primary data and they agree to allow the journal to review their data if requested.

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Bonacchi, A., Miccinesi, G., Galli, S. et al. Use of the Needs Evaluation Questionnaire with cancer outpatients. Support Care Cancer 24, 3507–3515 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3176-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3176-4

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