The Rotterdam Symptom Checklist can be used to measure the distress caused a cancer patient by the symptoms experienced. There are two subscales to measure the psychological and the physical distress. This can be used to monitor patients during and following therapy, and can help target areas for intervention.
Time frame: past week
Items:
(1) lack of appetite
(2) irritability
(3) tiredness
(4) worrying
(5) sore muscles
(6) depressed mood
(7) lack of energy
(8) low back pain
(9) nervousness
(10) nausea
(11) desperate feelings about the future
(12) difficulties sleeping
(13) headaches
(14) dizziness
(15) decreased sexual interest
(16) tension
(17) abdominal ache
(18) anxiety
(19) heartburn, belching
(20) shivering
(21) tingling hands or feet
(22) difficulty concentrating
(23) sore mouth, pain on swallowing
(24) loss of hair
(25) burning or sore eyes
(26) shortness of breath
(27) dry mouth
where:
• The original checklist had 7 additional items that were removed: itching, feeling lonely, crying spells, deafness, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea.
• An alternative version is to ask for symptoms during the past 3 days.
|
Response for Degree of Bother
|
Points
|
|
not at all
|
1
|
|
a little
|
2
|
|
somewhat
|
3
|
|
very much
|
4
|
psychological distress subscore =
= SUM(points for 8 items: 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 16, 18, 22)
physical distress subscore =
= SUM(points for the remaining 19 items: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12-15, 17, 19-21, 23-27)
total distress score =
= SUM(points for all 27 items)
Interpretation:
• minimum psychological distress subscore: 8
• maximum psychological distress subscore: 32
• minimum psychological distress subscore: 19
• maximum psychological distress subscore: 76
• minimum total distress subscore: 27
• maximum total distress subscore: 108
• The higher the score, the greater the distress.
percent of maximal distress =
= ((total distress) – 27) / 81 * 100%
Performance:
• The authors found the scale to be highly reliable.
