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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Use of the Distress Thermometer in Cancer Survivors: Convergent Validity and Diagnostic Accuracy in a Spanish Sample

subject

description

Objectives To explore the performance of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer (DT) as a distress screening tool in cancer survivors. Sample & setting 236 Spanish adult-onset cancer survivors who visited the Fundacion Instituto Valenciano de Oncologia in Valencia, Spain, for follow-up appointments. Methods & variables Survivors completed the DT and the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18), which has established a cutoff score for identifying clinically significant distress. Results Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the DT scores relative to the BSI-18 cutoff score showed good overall accuracy. For a score of 5 or greater, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and clinical utility indexes indicated that the DT appeared to be satisfactory for screening but had restricted use for case finding. Implications for nursing Screening for and responding to distress is considered an important part of nursing practice. The DT is suitable for use as a first-stage, quick-detection instrument in a two-step screening process to rule out noncases among Spanish post-treatment cancer survivors.