Validation of traditional Chinese version of Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care Questionnaire in Taiwanese patients

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore

Study develops and validates a traditional Chinese translation of the Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC) questionnaire for Mandarin-speaking patients in Taiwan. Holistic care requires screening unmet physical, psychological, spiritual, and social needs. The SPARC-T is produced using forward-backward translation, then evaluated through semistructured interviews, reliability testing by Cronbach’s alpha, and validity assessment by correlations with the FACT-G questionnaire.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

J Chin MedAssoc Original article Validation of traditional Chinese version of Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care Questionnaire in Taiwanese patients Ming-Chieh Tsaia, Yun-Yun Choub, El-Wui Lohc,d,e, Ashleigh Peng Lina, Hsueh-Chi Wuf, Li-Sin Hsiaoa, Chia-Li Changg, Shu-Fen Chenh, Sam H. Ahmedzaii, Ka-Wai Tamb,c,e,f,j,* aSchool of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; bShared Decision Making Resource Center, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; cGraduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; dDepartment of Medical Imaging, Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; eCochrane Taiwan, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; fDivision of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; gGraduate Institute of Data Science, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; hDepartment of Nursing, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC; iMedical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom; jDivision of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Abstract Background: Holistic health care considers all aspects of patient care , namely the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social aspects. To assess which patient needs are unmet, a screening questionnaire covering the four aforementioned aspects is required. Therefore, the Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care (SPARC), a multidimensional, self-reported questionnaire designed to screen patients regardless of diagnosis, was developed. This study developed a translated and validated traditional Chinese version of the SPARC for patients in Taiwan. Methods: The original English version of the SPARC was translated into a traditional Chinese version (SPARC-T) through forwardbackward translation. Semistructured debriefing interviews were conducted with participants to evaluate the SPARC-T. The reliability and validity of the SPARC-T were assessed through Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and a correlation analysis conducted using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) questionnaire. Results: Fifty-three patients were enrolled from our hospital: 22 had cancer but the majority had nonmalignant chronic conditions. About internal consistency, the Cronbach’s alpha values for all domains of the SPARC-T were favorable. A correlation analysis of the SPARC-T and FACT-G revealed significant correlations for the domains of physical symptoms, independence and activity, family and social issues, sleep, and treatment issues; no significant correlation was identified for the “psychological issues” domain. Conclusion: This study revealed that the SPARC-T is an effective tool for screening Mandarin-speaking patients. Thus, it can be used in hospitals to holistically screen and identify the needs of patients to ensure they can receive appropriate professional support and holistic health care. Keywords: Health care; Holistic; Needs; Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral for Care; Taiwan 1. INTRODUCTION Holistic health care is patient-centered and considers all aspects of patient care, namely the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social aspects.1 For patients, disease-related discomfort * Address correspondence. Dr. Ka-Wai Tam, Department of Surgery, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, 291, Zhongzheng Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City 235, Taiwan, [ROC. E-mail address: kelvintam@h.tmu.edu.tw](ROC. E-mail address: kelvintam@h.tmu.edu.tw)[ ](ROC. E-mail address: kelvintam@h.tmu.edu.tw)(K.-W. Tam). Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the subjec

FAQs

What is the SPARC and why was a traditional Chinese version created?

SPARC is a multidimensional, self-reported questionnaire designed to screen patients regardless of diagnosis. A traditional Chinese version (SPARC-T) was developed to assess unmet holistic care needs among Taiwanese, Mandarin-speaking patients.

How was the SPARC-T developed and evaluated?

The original English SPARC was translated into SPARC-T via forward-backward translation. Semistructured debriefing interviews assessed the translation, and reliability and validity were tested using Cronbach’s alpha and correlations with the FACT-G.

What did the study find about reliability and validity?

Cronbach’s alpha values across SPARC-T domains were favorable, indicating good internal consistency. Significant correlations were found for domains including physical symptoms, independence and activity, family and social issues, sleep, and treatment issues, while the “psychological issues” domain showed no significant correlation.

How can SPARC-T be used in healthcare settings?

The study concludes that SPARC-T is effective for screening Mandarin-speaking patients. It can help hospitals identify patients’ needs and support delivery of appropriate professional and holistic care.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore