The Validation of the Chinese (Cantonese) Version of the Patient Dignity Inventory in a Hong Kong Palliative Care Setting

CONTEXT: To assess and address a patient's dignity and dignity-related distress would greatly benefit patients who have advanced stage disease. The Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) allows clinicians to identify sources of dignity-related distress for patients. The PDI should be evaluated for use in a local Chinese setting. OBJECTIVES: To validate the Patient Dignity Inventory Hong Kong-Chinese (Cantonese) version (PDI-HK) and assess the psychometric properties in patients in an inpatient palliative setting in Hong Kong. METHOD: The English version of the PDI was translated and back translated, then reviewed by a panel including a clinician, clinical psychologist, and nurse clinician. Recruited patients would complete the PDI-HK, the Chinese version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Hong Kong (MQOL-HK), and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale. Psychometric properties including internal consistency, concurrent validity, test–retest reliability, and factor analysis were tested. RESULTS: A total of 97 consecutive patients were recruited into the study. The mean PDI score was 51.85 (range 25–102). Cronbach's alpha was 0.953 (p < 0.001). Concurrent validity with the HADS and MQOL-HK questionnaire was established. Factor analysis showed four factors, namely Existential Distress, Physical Change and Function, Psychological Distress, and Support. These were similar to previous PDI validation studies. CONCLUSION: The PDI was translated into Chinese (Cantonese) and applied in an inpatient palliative care unit in Hong Kong, with adequate validity. The PDI-HK version can be further used in a larger Chinese population to assess and address dignity-related issues.