Validation of the basic symptom questionnaire M.D. Anderson (MDASI-M) for cancer patients in the Mexican population

Abstract

Introduction: The different symptoms in the patient with cancer can affect the activities in the daily life, the therapeutic decisions, as well as the quality of life. Thus, identifying the symptomatology in this group of patients is of the utmost importance. Objective: To validate the basic symptoms questionnaire M. D. Anderson (MDASI) for cancer patients in the Mexican population. Method: 309 patients from the National Cancer Institute were included, aged between 18 and 85 years, the type of study was transversal, not experimental. Instruments: Basic questionnaire of symptoms MDASI, Inventory of Quality of Life of the European Organization for the treatment and researching of cancer (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and Thermometer of Distrés. Results: A factorial analysis adjusted to two factors showed an instrument with 12 items, similar to the original version. The internal consistency of the global scale presented a satisfactory index (0.86). The Cronbach alphas of each subscale had a value of 0.79 and 0.80 that explained 48.04% of the global variance. The validity, by means of correlation with the concurrent measures, showed significant results (Pearson’s r from 0.954 to -0.267, p <0.01). Conclusions: The MDASI instrument produced adequate psychometric properties, similar to the original version. It is useful for clinical practice and research. Complementary studies are recommended to determine their sensitivity in the effects of medical and psychological interventions.