Preliminary study for the brief measure of quality of life and quality of care for the national random sampling hospital survey: content validity and interpretability

ABSTRACT

To monitor the quality of life （QOL）of cancer patients through the Patient Behavior Survey, a large population-based survey, we developed a short QOL and quality of care （QOC）questionnaire. In order to help evaluate QOL in cancer patients, we also conducted a web–based survey designed to evaluate the content validity and interpretability of the questionnaire. In total, 630 cancer patients completed the survey. For each item, the result that more than 90% responses determined the item was of importance indicated that the item was important for living with cancer. Regarding items related to QOC, satisfaction with care, we consolidated responses; for example, the answer of “neutral” could also be interpreted as “almost satisfied” and patients who answered “other” may also mean that the item does not apply to them. We found that this questionnaire accurately evaluated the QOL of cancer patients and the responses were interpretable and presentable.