Development and validation of the taste alteration scale for children receiving chemotherapy

Background Taste alteration is one of the most common and frequently ignored side effects of chemotherapy. Aims Our aim was to develop the Taste Alteration Scale for Children with Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy (TAS-CrC). Methods This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional type. The study was conducted between May and September 2016 at the child haematology clinics and outpatient clinics of six hospitals. A total of 165 children with cancer who were followed in the clinics and outpatient clinics of the mentioned hospitals between May and September 2016 and received chemotherapy constituted the population of the study. Our sample comprised 95 children with cancer who were followed in the clinic and outpatient clinic between the dates specified and met the study criteria. Results It is observed that the correlation values of the item analysis of the TAS-CrC vary between 0.49 and 0.86. One sub-dimension of the scale was determined by explanatory factor analysis. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was determined to be 0.88. It was determined that there was a statistically significant relationship between the test-retest (first and second application) of the scale (p < 0.01). Conclusions According to the data obtained from the study, it was determined that the TAS-CrC was a valid and reliable scale.