New nccn distress guidelines and tools encourage patients. Use of distress thermometers in an outpatient oncology. The nccn distress thermometer and problem list may not be used for any commercial purpose, including publication in journals, text books, etc. The dt is a simple, selfreport, pencil and paper measure consisting of a line or thermometer image with a 010 scale anchored at the zero point with no distress and at scale point ten with extreme. Researchers conducted a secondary data analysis of distress ratings n 1205 for people receiving outpatient care at a midwestern us cancer. One of the most commonly used tools is the distress thermometer dt. Only three institutions screened every patient, and the other five screened certain groups of cancer patients. Permission may be requested by completing the nccn permissions request form. Over a hipaasecure videoconference call, a cancer practicebased registered nurse assessed the patient using the nccn distress thermometer dt, amended for the hnc population to include issues such as jaw swelling and speech difficulties. Here we discuss some of the signs that a person may be having trouble dealing with distress, and discuss the types of help that are available. An analysis of the distress thermometer problem list and.
Nccn clinical practice guidelines in oncology nccn guidelines. Originally devised by roth et al 19991 for the national comprehensive cancer network nccn, the distress thermometer dt is a simple selfscoring visual analogue scale for recording global distress a composite of physical wellbeing, psychosocial and spiritual issues. Patients with cancer, and their families and carers, may experience a range of psychological symptoms. It has a scale on which you circle your level of distress. The distress thermometer is a tool that you can use to talk to your doctors about your distress. Pdf distress is experienced by many cancer patients, adversely affecting quality of life and. The search terms used were cancer and distress thermometer. Patients are asked to rate their distress in the past week on an 11point visual analogue scale ranging from 0 no distress to 10 extreme distress. Adapted and reproduced with permission from the nccn 1. About nccn new translations of nccn guidelines content available. In a study of 401 patients with cancer by mitchell et al, 6 45% had distress according to the distress thermometer dt, but nurses had difficulty identifying distress using their routine clinical judgment and made false. Distress in patients with newly diagnosed brain tumours. The nccn has advocated for the dt to be used to assess distress in cancer patients. High level of distress in longterm survivors of thyroid.
Regarding patients with intracranial tumours, keir et al. Nccn distress thermometer for patients munson healthcare. The national comprehensive cancer network nccn recently posted a new translation of the nccn clinical practice guidelines in oncology nccn guidelines for melanoma in turkish. The journal of continuing education in nursing distress screening, using the distress thermometer for patients, is a valid, evidencebased approach to assess and facilitate the identification of. The consumer resource, cancer how are you travelling. Use of the distress thermometer in clinical practice. Distress thermometer dt the dt is a 1item, selfreport measure of psychological distress developed by the nccn.
It was adopted into recommendations by the us national comprehensive cancer network. Nccn distress thermometer and problem list disa psychosocial distress patient characteristics disb. Also, with the focus on the patient, carer needs are often overlooked and only 50% of those with serious psychological distress will seek support 3,6. Patients with a cancer diagnosis experience complex issues that can cause distress. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 5th ed. This study was designed to translate and validate the national comprehensive cancer network nccn distress thermometer dt in regional language malayalam and to see the feasibility of using it in our patients. The nccn distress management guideline is a useful tool to screen for and manage. It is a rapidscreening measure with a 010 visual analogue scale, in the form of a thermometer labeled with no distress at 0, moderate distress at the midpoint, and extreme distress at 10.
Cancer has been known for many years as a stressful diagnosis that can challenge successful treatment of the disease. It can include feelings of unease, sadness, worry, anger, helplessness, guilt, and so forth. Acceptability of the distress thermometer and problem list. Screening for psychological distress in two french cancer. The purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with overall distress for a diverse population of cancer survivors. Important time points may include changes in disease activity. The pds is a french adaptation of the national comprehensive cancer network distress thermometer. If you have lung cancer or mesothelioma, please call either johanna lynch or lucy pike on. The nccn recommends screening patients at the initial visit soon after diagnosis and at each visit, although the screening schedule may be revised as clinically indicated. Purpose this study aims to translate the distress thermometer dt into indonesian, test its validity in indonesian women with breast cancer and determine norm scores of the indonesian dt for clinically relevant distress. There was also a significant difference in the number of.
Diffusion of distress management guideline into practice. Pooled results from multiple studies suggest that approximately 40% of cancer. Screening for distress suggests that 40% to 50% of. Incorporating distress screening improves referrals in. Jonathan larsen, mpp, manager, global business development. The resulting measure, the nccn distress thermometer dt, was developed to provide a rapid identification of patients who were experiencing significant levels of diseaserelated distress. The nccn clinical practice guidelines nccn guidelines are a statement of evidence and consensus of the authors regarding their views of currently accepted approaches to treatment. In 1999, the national comprehensive cancer network nccn, recommended routine screening for distress in all cancer patients. Thank you for your interest in the nccn distress thermometer and problem list, figure disa, from the nccn clinical practice guidelines in oncology nccn. A certain amount of distress is normal when you or a family member has cancer.
Accuracy of the distress thermometer for home care. The most frequently used instrument is the national comprehensive cancer network distress thermometer dt, a 0 to 10 point visual analog scale that is coupled with a problem checklist of 35 sources of distress. Measurement of psychological distress in patients with. The distress thermometer dt is a singleitem rapid distress screening tool by use of which these. A tool to measure levels of psychological distress. As the use of simple, straightforward, and clearly anchored scaling methods has consistently proved to be a successful and reliable mode of communicating. Analysis of the distress thermometers psychometric properties and applicability to subgroups by lora l. Screening for distress in cancer patients grassi 20. Distress is defined in the nccn guidelines for distress management as a multifactorial, unpleasant experience of a psychologic ie, cognitive. A few studies have investigated the prevalence of distress as measured by the national comprehensive cancer network distress thermometer dt or other screening instruments, such as the brief symptom inventory bsi. Nccn distress thermometer and problem list for patients. Use of the distress thermometer in clinical practice ncbi. The nccn distress management panel developed the dt, a now wellknown tool for initial screening, using 0 no distress to 10 extreme distress, which is similar to the successful rating scale used to measure pain.
No distress 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 nccn distress thermometer for patients help for distress distress is an unpleasant emotional state that may affect how you feel, think, and act. Pdf use of the distress thermometer in clinical practice. Several panel members noted that their institutions are using the dt to screen for distress in survivors at this time. Download the nccn distress thermometer 296kb pdf from. Using a visual distress thermometer see the collection methods section below for an example, ask the person to indicate the level of distress that they have experienced in the past week on a scale from 010, where 0 indicates no distress and 10 indicates extreme distress. The distress thermometer please circle or pick a number 010 from the drop down box that best describes how much distress you have been experiencing in the past week including today. In 2003, the nccn distress management panel published more fully. Distress thermometer and problem list information nccn. Important time points may include changes in disease activity such as remission, recurrence, or. The nccn distress thermometer dt is a oneitem, 11point likert scale represented on a visual graphic of a thermometer that ranges from 0.
The nccn clinical practice guidelines nccn guidelines are a statement of evidence and consensus of the authors regarding. Early evaluation and screening for distress leads to early and timely management of psychological distress, which in turn improves medical management. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a screening procedure using the psychological distress scale pds. This translation is a direct result of nccn s inaugural international day held. The national comprehensive cancer network nccn practice guidelines for the management of psychosocial distress, 2014 defines distress as a multifactorial distressing. Little is known about the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in french cancer patients. Distress thermometer assesses psychosocial distress. Nccn distress thermometer and problem list for patients version 2. Identification of patients suffering from elevated psychosocial distress, the sources of the distress, and the necessary treatment of the distress can be rather difficult within the neurosurgical setting e. This article describes a pilot of the distress thermometer, a tool used to measure patients levels of distress, and found it. The distress thermometer is a quick screening tool used to measure psychological symptoms in patients with cancer.
The nurse identified areas of distress, then led patients in a discussion to elucidate specific concerns. Nccn clinical practice guidelines in oncology nccn. Methods first, the original version of the dt was translated using a forward and backward translation procedure according to the guidelines. Orlando, flin recognition of the distress associated with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the national comprehensive cancer network nccn has produced several resources to help patients report their distress and cope with it. Download the nccn distress thermometer and problem list here. Most of the validation studies in cancer patients have validated the dt against the hads and established proper cutoff scores with. Changes in distress measured by the distress thermometer. More than 50% of patients with advanced lifethreatening conditions suffer from psychosocial distress.
In patients with cancer in general, the prevalence of distress is high e. The distress thermometer is a pen and paper tool for patients to report how distressed they are about their psychosocial and physical problems. The nccn introduced the dt as a screening tool to identify sources of distress. Validation of malayalam version of national comprehensive. In an effort to address barriers to distress screening, the national comprehensive cancer network nccn recommends the distress thermometer dt, a singleitem selfreport measure of distress 14. In addition, a search was conducted using web of science to identify all published studies that cited the first publication of the dt 9 or the validation study published in 2005 10.
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