Objective To examine the clinical utility of postoperation symptom inventory. Methods According to the current cancer symptom assessment tools, clinical guidelines and expert interviews, we preliminarily selected 10 common symptoms as an alternative item. Postoperative symptom assessment scale of lung cancer patients was formulated through expert evaluation. And 383 patients in eight hospitals were evaluated and validated using the scale to analyze the reliability and validity. Results Postoperation symptom inventory was easy to operate and evaluate for postoperative lung cancer patients in 8 symptoms (pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, cough, insomnia, throat pain, sweating and constipation). The scale was with high reliability. Cronbach' s α was 0.888. This scale was also with reliable validity. Content validity index was 0.900. There were two common factors with high cumulative proportion in variance(47.70% and 57.46%). And each question had high factor load and communality (>0.40) in the exploratory factor analysis. Conclusion The postoperation symptom inventory has excellent reliability and validity in patients with lung cancer surgery.
ObjectiveTo conduct item analysis on the Pulmonary Nodule Symptom Scale preliminarily developed through Delphi consultation, establish the final version of the scale, and evaluate its reliability and validity. MethodsPatients with pulmonary nodules who visited the outpatient department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from May to October 2024 were enrolled according to diagnostic criteria for pulmonary nodules and predefined inclusion/exclusion standards. Demographic data, medical history, and imaging characteristics of pulmonary nodules were collected, and participants completed the preliminary Pulmonary Nodule Symptom Scale developed through Delphi consultation. Four item analysis methods, including discrete trend method, critical ration method, correlation coefficient method, and Cronbach’s α coefficient, were employed for final item screening to determine the definitive version of the scale. Reliability and validity were systematically assessed via Cronbach’s α, split-half reliability, content validity, and construct validity. ResultsA total of 153 patients with pulmonary nodules were included, comprising 56 (36.60%) males and 97 (63.40%) females, with a mean age of (53.77±12.61) years. The median disease duration was 6 (1, 20) months, and mean nodule diameter was (7.64±4.37) mm, including 38 (24.84%) solitary patients and 115 (75.16%) multiple patients, as well as 39 (25.49%) solid nodules and 114 (74.51%) ground-glass nodules. Based on comprehensive results from four item analysis methods and core group discussion, two items ("symptom severity" and "quality of life") in the overall evaluation dimension were removed. The final scale comprised 15 items across three dimensions: respiratory symptoms, systemic manifestations, and psychological state. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.84, with a Spearman-Brown coefficient of 0.912. Item-level content validity indices ranged from 0.824 to 1.000, while the scale-level content validity index reached 0.933. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure was 0.803, with Bartlett’s test of sphericity showing statistical significance (P<0.001). Exploratory factor analysis extracted three factors explaining 52.48% of total variance, and the rotated component matrix distribution generally aligned with the predefined three dimensions. ConclusionThe definitive version of the Pulmonary Nodule Symptom Scale contains 15 items across three dimensions (respiratory symptoms, systemic manifestations, and psychological state). Reliability and validity evaluations demonstrate good reliability and satisfactory validity for the scale.