Open AccessIs the G ive Y outh a V oice questionnaire an appropriate measure of teen‐centred care in paediatric oncology: a R asch measurement theory analysis
Author(s) -
Klassen Anne F,
Cano Stefan J.,
Sinha Roona,
Shahbaz Areej,
Klaassen Robert,
Dix David
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
health expectations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.314
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1369-7625
pISSN - 1369-6513
DOI - 10.1111/hex.12161
Subject(s) - rasch model , scale (ratio) , medicine , psychology , qualitative property , population , qualitative research , family medicine , oncology , developmental psychology , computer science , sociology , social science , physics , environmental health , quantum mechanics , machine learning
Background Adolescents have their own views about the cancer care they receive and how they feel they are treated, but their opinions are rarely solicited. Objective To determine whether the 56‐item G ive Y outh a V oice ( GYV ‐56), its subscales and its 20‐item short‐form, are clinically meaningful and psychometrically sound instruments that can be used to measure teen‐centred care ( TCC ) in paediatric oncology. Design Qualitative interviews and a questionnaire survey. Setting and participants Qualitative interviews with 38 childhood cancer survivors. GYV ‐56 data collected from 200 paediatric cancer patients and survivors. Main outcome measure The GYV ‐56, which measures the following four aspects of service delivery: Supportive and respectful relationships; Information sharing and communication; Supporting independence; and Teen‐centred services. Results Qualitative data provided broad support for the TCC conceptual framework and GYV ‐56 items. After post‐hoc reduction of the response options from 7 to 3 (to correct for disordered thresholds), fit to the R asch model was good, most items showed acceptable fit residuals and chi‐square P ‐values, scale reliability were supported and item locations defined a continuum for TCC that was well‐targeted to the sample. By calibrating the items for each subscale and the short‐form to the full scale, the scores obtained on each measure are directly comparable. Conclusion Our study found initial support for use of the GYV with a reduced response option format for examining TCC in the adolescent oncology patients. in this paediatric population. Further research using the GYV is needed to elaborate upon our findings.