EORTC COMU26 (Phase IV)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An international field study testing the reliability and validity of the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Communication Questionnaire (EORTC COMU26) for assessing communication between health care professionals and patients.
IRAS ID
263477
Contact name
Elizabeth Anne Lanceley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2019/08/84 , Data Protection Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 27 days
Research summary
Cancer and cancer treatments are frequently associated with burdensome physical, social and psychological effects. Good communication is key to informed decision making and supporting patients throughout their cancer journey. Effective health care professional-patient communication contributes to better symptom management, improves psychological functioning and quality of life.
It is important that questionnaires that measure different aspects of patient health professional communication are available to inform clinical practice and identify specific training needs. More specifically these questionnaires need to be reliable and valid. Reliability relates to whether the same concept will be measured time and time again (consistency), and validity relates to whether the questionnaire is actually measuring what it says it does (appropriateness).
Previous research (Phases 1 & 2)produced a list of communication issues that were seen to be relevant by cancer patients themselves. A questionnaire was constructed from these issues and the acceptableness and appropriateness of the questions tested with patients(Phase 3). The aim of this study (Phase 4) is to further test the questionnaire (EORTC COMU26), specifically looking at its reliability and validity for independent use or to be used with the previously validated general quality of life questionnaire, the EORTC-C30.
Patients with different cancers and at different points in their cancer treatment and recovery will be recruited and asked to complete the two quality of life questionnaires and take part in a short interview with the researcher. The results will be analysed to see if the new instrument is reliable across cancer types, in men and women and is sensitive to change across time.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
20/WA/0062
Date of REC Opinion
18 Feb 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion