Mitchell–Hoole–Kanatas (MHK) questionnaire: the first to measure patient-reported outcomes relating to problems with intimacy after diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer

Publication date: Available online 22 November 2018Source: British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial SurgeryAuthor(s): J. Hoole, D.A. Mitchell, A.B. Smith, A. KanatasAbstractPatient-reported outcomes are increasingly used by clinical teams as indicators of quality when assessing treatment after a diagnosis of head and neck cancer. About a third of patients report reduced sexual interest or enjoyment after such treatment but, despite that, there is no questionnaire about intimacy that has been developed specifically for them. The aim of this study was to develop such a questionnaire, to gain an indication of the relative incidence of individual items, and to compare characteristics such as age, stage, treatment, time since treatment for an established head and neck cancer, and a health-related quality of life (QoL) measure (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 with the Head and Neck 35 module). The development of the new instrument was based on an exploratory observational study that included quantitative and qualitative methods. The qualitative element was achieved by the generation of items - from published studies, the comments of patients and carers, and a cross-sectional survey of patients with head and neck cancer who were alive and free of disease. The quantitative element comprised analysis of exploratory and confirmatory factors, internal reliability assessment (Cronbach’s alpha), and a correlation anal...
Source: British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research