CAncer rehabilitation evaluation system–short form (CARES‐SF). A cancer specific rehabilitation and quality of life instrument

• Published in: Cancer 1991-09, Vol.68 (6), p.1406-1413
• Main Authors: Schag, C. Anne Coscarelli, Ganz, Patricia A., Heinrich, Richard L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Data Collection - methods; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Factor Analysis, Statistical; General aspects; Humans; Medical sciences; Neoplasms - rehabilitation; Quality of Life; Reproducibility of Results; Tumors
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(19910915)68:6<1406::AID-CNCR2820680638>3.0.CO;2-2

The CAncer Rehabilitation Evaluation System (CARES) (CARES Consultants, Santa Monica, CA) a rehabilitation and quality of life instrument with well‐documented reliability and validity, has been shortened. This report describes the development and psychometric properties of the new instrument, the CAncer Rehabilitation Evaluation System—Short Form (CARES‐SF). The data from four existing samples of cancer patients demonstrate that the CARES‐SF is highly related to the CARES (r = 0.98), has excellent test‐retest reliability (86% agreement), concurrent validity with related measures, and acceptable internal consistency of summary scales (alpha = 0.85 to 0.61). In a new sample of breast cancer patients evaluated at three points in time (1 month, 7 months, and 13 months after diagnosis) the instrument appears to be sensitive to change and is highly related to the Functional Living Index—Cancer (FLIC), an existing quality of life instrument. The authors conclude that the CARES‐SF has excellent potential as a quality of life instrument for use in clinical trials.