Development and psychometric evaluation of the cancer bio-psycho-social-spiritual comprehensive assessment scale.

BACKGROUND

A comprehensive assessment of the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of cancer patients is crucial for holistic palliative care, yet a scientifically validated tool tailored for the Chinese population is lacking. This study aimed to develop and validate the Cancer Bio-psycho-social-spiritual Comprehensive Assessment Scale (CBCAS) for cancer patients across all disease stages.

METHODS

The CBCAS was developed in three phases: (1) item generation based on a literature review and palliative care framework; (2) refinement through a two-round Delphi consultation with 15 experts; and (3) psychometric evaluation involving 400 cancer patients from two tertiary hospitals. We conducted item analysis, assessed content validity and internal consistency, and performed exploratory factor analysis (EFA).

RESULTS

The final 54-item CBCAS encompasses nine factors identified via EFA, which collectively explain 60.00% of the total variance. Both item-level and scale-level content validity indices (I-CVI/S-CVI) reached 1.00. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91.

CONCLUSIONS

The CBCAS is a valid and reliable instrument for holistically assessing the bio-psycho-social-spiritual status of cancer patients in China. Its application can facilitate personalized care planning and early palliative interventions by providing a comprehensive understanding of patient needs.