Assessing Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Cancer Treated With Interleukin-2: A Comparison of 2 Measures.
Shawn M McClintock, Robin B Dail, Laura S Howe-Martin and 2 others
PMID 35089873WHAT IT FOUND
A common self-report depression screen missed the mood changes patients actually experienced during high-dose IL-2 therapy.
Clinician-rated interviews and family observations detected symptoms that the short self-report did not, suggesting the screen is too limited for this population.
Key findings
01The self-report measure (PROMIS-8B) showed little to no change in depression scores during treatment, while the clinician-rated measure (IDS-C) showed an increase from normal to mild severity.
02Qualitative reports from patients and families described symptoms like hallucinations and irritability that were not captured by the standard self-report screen.
03The authors conclude the PROMIS-8B is inappropriate for this patient population because it failed to detect the documented changes in depressive symptoms.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (10 patients), which limits generalizability. The study used only one self-report measure, so it is unclear if other self-reports would have detected the changes. The observation period was limited to the treatment hospitalizations, so long-term residual symptoms were not fully assessed. The study was descriptive and did not test an intervention, so it cannot prove that changing the assessment method improves patient outcomes.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the PROMIS-8B is invalid for all cancer patients. This finding applies specifically to the complex mood symptoms induced by high-dose IL-2 therapy in this small sample. Other patient populations or treatments may still be adequately screened by this measure.