Development and validation of a measurement tool to assess perceptions of palliative care

Abstract

Objectives Understanding patient's perceptions about palliative care is necessary to make an effective referral. The aim was to develop and validate a measure of patient perceptions. Methods Items were generated through patient, family caregiver and health professional interviews. The Perceptions of Palliative Care Instrument (PPCI) was administered to 85 patients with advanced cancer (AC). A subset (n = 39) completed it 7 days later. Participants also completed the Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS), the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and the Distress Thermometer (DT) for validation purposes. Results Factor analysis revealed four domains (positive and negative emotional and cogni..