Patient/family communication in palliative care: psychometric validation of the Cancer Communication Assessment Tool in Spanish (CCAT-PF-Sp)

Abstract

Objective: Validate and culturally adapt the Spanish version of the Cancer Communication Assessment Tool (CCAT-PF) in the Mexican population. Method: Translation and re-translation of the original instrument, apparent validation by experts, item discrimination analysis, reliability and criterion validity were performed. Ninety-seven dyads (cancer patients and their primary caregivers) attended at the Palliative Care Unit of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico participated. Results: Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency coefficients were obtained for the CCAT-P (α=.65), CCAT-F (α=.56) and CCAT-PF (α=.63), Kappa Concordance values (-0.0281 y 0.3974) and discrimination indices for all items. Construct validity was tested through regression analyses, which revealed that the presence of moderate/severe symptoms of depression in oncology patients influences the presence of conflicts in communication, (β = 4.70, p = .05, The presence of moderate/severe symptomatology of anxiety would decrease the presence of conflicts in communication (β = -6.69, p = .013. There was no significant effect (F = .06; gl = 93, p = .940) on CCAT-F scores and primary caregiver overload. Conclusion: The CCAT-PF is a clinical scale to identify communication barriers between the patient and primary caregiver, with acceptable psychometric properties in Spanish version for the Mexican population.