Purpose This clinimetric analysis was conducted to evaluate the reliability, validity, and responsiveness to changeover time of the QLQ-CIPN20 when used to quantify patient-reported ...chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Methods Participants recruited to four cooperative group trials were pooled to create two groups (n = 376, 575): those who did versus did not receive neurotoxic chemotherapy. QLQ-CIPN20 internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Instrument validity was assessed using factor analysis, by evaluating score correlations with other CIPN and pain measures, and by comparing scores between contrasting groups. Cohen's d was used to assess responsiveness to change. Results Alpha coefficients for the sensory, motor, and autonomic scales were 0.88, 0.88, and 0.78, respectively. However, autonomic scale and hearing loss items exhibited low item–item correlations (r ≤ 0.30) and thus were deleted. Moderate correlations were found between QLQ-CIPN20 and Brief Pain Inventory pain severity items (r 0.30–0.57, p ≤ .0001). Correlation between the QLQ-CIPN20 sensory and toxicity grading scale scores was low (r = .20; p ≤ .01). Mean scores were higher (worse) (p ≤ 0.0001) in individuals who did versus did not receive neurotoxic chemotherapy. The sensory and motor scales exhibited moderate-high responsiveness to change (Cohen's d = 0.82 and 0.48, respectively). Factor analysis indicated that the 16-item version formed distinct factors for lower and upper extremity CIPN, delineating typical distal to proximal CIPN progression. Conclusions Results provide support for QLQ-CIPN20 sensory and motor scale reliability and validity. The more parsimonious and clinically relevant 16-item version merits further consideration.
Purpose
Clinical practice guidelines on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) use the NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), while recent clinical trials employ a ...potentially superior measure, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-CIPN twenty-item scale (QLQ-CIPN20), a patient-reported outcome (PRO). Practitioners and researchers lack guidance, regarding how QLQ-CIPN20 results relate to the traditional CTCAE during the serial assessment of patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Methods
Two large CIPN clinical trial datasets (538 patients) pairing QLQ-CIPN20 and CTCAE outcomes were analyzed using a multivariable linear mixed model with QLQ-CIPN20 score as the outcome variable, CTCAE grade as the main effect, and patient as random effect (accounting for internal correlation of serial measures).
Results
The association between QLQ-CIPN20 scores and CTCAE grades was strong (
p
< 0.0001), whereby patients with higher CTCAE grade had worse QLQ-CIPN20 scores. Some variation of QLQ-CIPN20 scores was observed based on drug, treatment, and cycle. While there was a marked difference in the mean QLQ-CIPN20 scores between CTCAE grades, the ranges of QLQ-CIPN20 scores within each CTCAE grade were large, leading to large overlap in CIPN20 scores across CTCAE grades.
Conclusions
A strong positive association of QLQ-CIPN20 scores and CTCAE grade provides evidence of convergent validity as well as practical guidance, as to how to quantitatively interpret QLQ-CIPN20 scores at the study level in terms of the traditional CTCAE. The present results also highlight an important clinical caveat, specifically, that conversion of a specific QLQ-CIPN20 score to a specific CTCAE score may not be reliable at the level of an individual patient.
The Medical Library Association (MLA) held its 122nd annual meeting May 3-6, 2022, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meeting was entitled “MLA ’22: Reconnect. Renew. Reflect” and utilized a hybrid model ...with some events in person, and some virtually.
The Medical Library Association (MLA) held its 121st annual meeting virtually May 10–May 27, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting was entitled “MLA ‘21 vConference,” and the theme was ...“Transforming Our Diversifying Communities.”
The Medical Library Association (MLA) held its 120th annual meeting and conference virtually May 19, 2020, and July 27–August 28, 2020, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The ...meeting was titled the “MLA’20 vConference and Exhibits,” and the theme was “2020 Vision: The Future in Focus.”
The Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) recently issued a call for submissions that recognize and address social injustices; speak to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce ...and among our user populations; and share critical perspectives on health sciences librarianship as well as those on any topic within JMLA's scope written by authors who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. We also committed to creating more equitable opportunities for authors, reviewers, and editorial board members from marginalized groups. As part of this effort, we conducted a demographic survey of all individuals who served as a member of the JMLA editorial board or reviewer or had submitted a manuscript to JMLA between 2018 and 2020. We found that most survey respondents are white, heterosexual, women and do not identify with a disability, meaning that JMLA is missing out on a diversity of perspectives and life experiences that could improve the journal's processes and policies, enrich its content, and accelerate the research and practice of health sciences librarianship. Therefore, to avoid perpetuating or aggravating systemic biases and power structures in scholarly publishing or health sciences librarianship, we pledge to take concrete steps toward making JMLA a more diverse and inclusive journal.
In 2020, the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) launched an initiative aimed at providing more equitable opportunities for authors, reviewers, and editorial team members. This ...editorial provides an update on the steps we have taken thus far to empower authors, increase the diversity of our editorial team, and make equity-minded recommendations to the Medical Library Association.
The
recently issued a call for submissions that recognize and address social injustices; speak to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce and among our user populations; and share critical ...perspectives on health sciences librarianship as well as those on any topic within
's scope written by authors who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. We also committed to creating more equitable opportunities for authors, reviewers, and editorial board members from marginalized groups. As part of this effort, we conducted a demographic survey of all individuals who served as a member of the
editorial board or reviewer or had submitted a manuscript to
between 2018 and 2020. We found that most survey respondents are white, heterosexual, women and do not identify with a disability, meaning that
is missing out on a diversity of perspectives and life experiences that could improve the journal's processes and policies, enrich its content, and accelerate the research and practice of health sciences librarianship. Therefore, to avoid perpetuating or aggravating systemic biases and power structures in scholarly publishing or health sciences librarianship, we pledge to take concrete steps toward making
a more diverse and inclusive journal.
Highlights • This meta-analysis of individual patient data from 34 randomised controlled trials ( n = 4519 patients) found significant benefits of exercise effects on quality of life and physical ...function. • Exercise effects on quality of life and physical function were comparable across patients with different demographic and clinical characteristics. • Exercise effects on quality of life and physical function were significantly larger for supervised than unsupervised interventions.