Solid Organ Sites clinical trials

Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction With and Acceptance of Their Totally-implanted Central Venous Catheter

Background Patient satisfaction with or acceptance of care assessment is increasingly taken into account in oncology. Most cancer and other critically-ill patients require a totally-implanted Central Venous Catheter (CVC) for their treatment consisting of a reservoir connected to a central venous catheter, which may or may not be valved. It is impossible to estimate the number of CVC used in oncology. However, some authors claim that, in 2005, over 7 million CVCs were placed in the United States in both chronic and acute care. Although many patients fitted with a CVC are able to undertake activities which are hindered with other external vascular access devices, they are often physically or psychologically anxious about their device. To our knowledge, no validated questionnaire measuring patient acceptance of and satisfaction with their CVC has been reported in the literature. Based on these observations, the aim of our study was to develop and to validate a French-language questionnaire dubbed QASICC (Questionnaire for Acceptance of and Satisfaction with Implanted Central Venous Catheter) assessing patient satisfaction with and acceptance of their CVC. QASICC is designed as a multi-dimensional, self-administered questionnaire comprising approximately 30 items related to the use, appearance and pros and cons of the device as well as quality of life as perceived by patients using one for treatment. Objective The purpose of the study is to validate a French-language self-administered questionnaire (QASICC) designed to evaluate patients' satisfaction and acceptance concerning their totally-implanted central venous catheter: confirmatory validation of questionnaire psychometric properties. Study Design This is a prospective, multicenter, open study. Primary Outcome Measures: Questionnaire's 27 items tested on 990 patients to confirm QASICC internal structure: - Items quality - Dimensional structure - Dimensional consistence - Measure accuracy - Measure reliability - Sensitivity to change