Developing the Short-Form of Lymphedema Needs Questionnaire for Iranian Breast Cancer Patients

Purpose

The informational needs of patients with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema (BCRL) have not been sufficiently addressed in the scientific literature. Moreover, the only existing questionnaire in this field contains many items. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a short-form version of this questionnaire.

Methods

The questionnaire items were extracted from the Lymphoedema Needs Questionnaire-Breast Cancer (LNQ-BC). Demographic variables and clinical characteristics were considered separately. Out of 62 items, 24 were selected, and 2 additional questions were included based on feedback from 10 experts. 100 participants with BCRL completed the short-form questionnaire. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed using principal components extraction and varimax rotation, and Cronbach's alpha was calculated for each dimension.

Results

After evaluating the content validity, the instrument's construct validity with 26 items was conducted using EFA. The KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) value was equal to 0.879 and Bartlett's sphericity test was significant (p-value < 0.001), indicating the data's adequacy and appropriateness to perform EFA. Five extracted dimensions were named: “Lymphedema information needs” (5 items), “Informational support, peers” (5 items), “Access to a lymphedema care specialist” (5 items), “Physical and daily activities” (7 items) and “Financial issues and compression garments” (4 items). The level of needs in this study in all dimensions was high (more than 77%).

Conclusions

The high factor loadings and the total explained variance of 78.152% support the construct validity of the short questionnaire. Although some items exhibited cross-loadings, the majority loaded strongly on a single factor, indicating good discriminant validity. Providing services according to the needs of patients can be prioritized. Healthcare providers, insurers, and individuals should be better informed about lymphedema, its associated costs, and the importance of implementing appropriate management programs.