Total neuropathy adapted to the child scale in children receiving chemotherapy Turkish validity and reliability study

Objective: The aim of this study is to adapt the Turkish version of the scale and to perform the validity and reliability studies of the scale. Method: This methodological study was conducted with 80 patients who received chemotherapy in Akdeniz University Hospital Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Outpatient Clinic and Clinic between January and December 2020. "Individual Identification Form" and "Pediatric Modified Total Neuropathy Scale" were used as data collection tools. Number and percentage, normal distribution analysis and content validity index were used for the descriptive statistics of the children included in the study. The construct validity of the scale was evaluated by comparison with the known group and hypothesis testing. Test-retest method was used for reliability analyses, Cronbach's alpha, item-total score analysis and temporal invariance. Results: There was a significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups compared for the construct validity of the scale (p<0.05). According to the hypothesis testing method, a high correlation was found between the total score of the scale and the scores of the sensory (r=0.70) and functional (r=0.80) items (p<0.01). Cronbach's alpha a=0.71, correlation coefficients in the sub-items-total score analysis ranged between 0.35-0.80 (p=0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores and standard deviations obtained with the test-retest measurements of the scale (p>.05). Conclusion: The Child Adapted Total Neuropathy Scale, which was adapted into Turkish, was determined to be a valid and reliable measurement tool for evaluating peripheral neuropathy in patients receiving chemotherapy. Key words: chemotherapy, Pediatric Modified Total Neuropathy Scale, validity, reliability