Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29785682›Full record

ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2018

The modified Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale Short Form: a modified response format and rational scoring rules.

J L Sharp, K Gough, M C Pascoe, A Drosdowsky, V T Chang, P Schofield

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

J L SharpDepartment of Statistics, Data Science, and Epidemiology, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, VIC, 3122, Australia.
K GoughDepartment of Cancer Experiences, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2819-4217
M C PascoeDepartment of Cancer Experiences, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3831-5660
A DrosdowskyDepartment of Cancer Experiences, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.
V T ChangDepartment of Medicine, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, 07103, USA.
P SchofieldDepartment of Cancer Experiences, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, 305 Grattan St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia. pschofield@swin.edu.au.

Funding

Cancer Australia 566942National Health and Medical Research Council GNT1005708
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale Short Form (MSAS-SF) is a widely used symptom assessment instrument. Patients who self-complete the MSAS-SF have difficulty following the two-part response format, resulting in incorrectly completed responses. We describe modifications to the response format to improve useability, and rational scoring rules for incorrectly completed items.

methodsThe modified MSAS-SF was completed by 311 women in our Peer and Nurse support Trial to Assist women in Gynaecological Oncology; the PeNTAGOn study. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise completion of the modified MSAS-SF, and provide symptom statistics before and after applying the rational scoring rules. Spearman's correlations with the Functional Assessment for Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were assessed.

resultsCorrect completion of the modified MSAS-SF items ranged from 91.5 to 98.7%. The rational scoring rules increased the percentage of useable responses on average 4% across all symptoms. MSAS-SF item statistics were similar with and without the scoring rules. The pattern of correlations with FACT-G and HADS was compatible with prior research.

conclusionThe modified MSAS-SF was useable for self-completion and responses demonstrated validity. The rational scoring rules can minimise loss of data from incorrectly completed responses. Further investigation is recommended.

Indexed as

FemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeReproducibility of ResultsStress, PsychologicalSymptom AssessmentGynaecological cancerPsychological distressQuality of lifeSymptom assessment

Identifiers

PMID29785682

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.