Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of spiritual needs questionnaire with 27 items (SpNQ-Ch-27) in cancer patients.
Yue Zhao, Yan Wang, Xiaoyue Yao and 3 others
PMID 31406883WHAT IT FOUND
A Chinese questionnaire for cancer patients asked about meaning, peace, connection, forgiveness and prayer.
It was usable in Chinese cancer patients, with the need to give and connect with others highest. It does not show the tool improves care.
Key findings
01The questionnaire had total Cronbach's α = 0.90 and subscale α values from 0.63 to 0.95.
02The items grouped into six domains explaining 63.08% of variance, and confirmatory fit indices were χ²/df = 2.00, RMSEA = 0.07, IFI = 0.93, NFI = 0.86, CFI = 0.92, and TLI = 0.90.
03Actively Giving needs had the highest mean score, 2.01 ± 0.67 on a 4-point scale, and patients with religious beliefs had higher scores on several other domains.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample from one tertiary hospital in Xinjiang, so it may not represent other hospitals, regions, or cancer populations. The study was cross-sectional and did not test whether using the questionnaire changes care or patient outcomes. The sample included few patients with Christianity or Buddhism, and cancer types were not evenly distributed. Data collection was concentrated in time and place, and the exploratory and confirmatory analyses were split by odd and even questionnaire numbers. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and split-half coefficients; no repeated-measurement reliability is described. Existential Needs-Reflection had the lowest subscale internal consistency, Cronbach's α = 0.63, so that subscale should be interpreted cautiously. Item 23 was culturally adapted, so the findings may not transfer unchanged to other languages or settings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. No funding source is reported in the article text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that spiritual needs assessment improves cancer care. The study only tested how a questionnaire behaved in 457 Chinese cancer patients. It did not test whether nurses using it changed patient outcomes.