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Open Access 01-01-2017 | Brief Communication

Development of a short form of the Spanish schedule of attitudes toward hastened death in a palliative care population

Authors: Cristina Monforte-Royo, Luis González-de Paz, Joaquín Tomás-Sábado, Barry Rosenfeld, Julia Strupp, Raymond Voltz, Albert Balaguer

Published in: Quality of Life Research | Issue 1/2017

Abstract

Purpose

The schedule of attitudes toward hastened death (SAHD) is widely used to assess the wish to hasten death (WTHD) among patients with life-threatening conditions. A short form of the SAHD would increase its clinical applicability in this population.

Method

Rasch analysis of data from 101 Spanish palliative inpatients. Item reduction involved selecting items with a high discrimination index (point-biserials ≥0.70), removing items with inadequate fit statistics, and assessing unidimensionality and local dependency. We examined the test probability function to establish an empirical risk score for suffering a WTHD and tested convergence between the original and the reduced set of items.

Results

A set of five items met all quality criteria. In this sample, 20.8 % of participants had a higher risk of a WTHD (p > 50 %) at a score of 3. Correlation analysis confirmed convergent validity between the original and reduced forms. Concurrent validity was confirmed by the similar correlations shown by both versions of the SAHD (5 and 20 items) with other measures.

Conclusion

This 5-item Spanish form of the SAHD could be a suitable alternative to the full instrument. The cut-off score derived from the Rasch analysis may be able to detect patients at risk of a WTHD.

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Title: Development of a short form of the Spanish schedule of attitudes toward hastened death in a palliative care population
Authors: Cristina Monforte-Royo
Luis González-de Paz
Joaquín Tomás-Sábado
Barry Rosenfeld
Julia Strupp
Raymond Voltz
Albert Balaguer
Publication date: 01-01-2017
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Published in: Quality of Life Research / Issue 1/2017
Print ISSN: 0962-9343
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2649
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1409-0

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Development of a short form of the Spanish schedule of attitudes toward hastened death in a palliative care population

Abstract

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

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